We'll Make It Through
by totallygilmore
Summary: Damon went after Emily. He wanted to be there for her and for their baby. Follow Damon and Emily, the wannabe rock star and the elite gymnast, as they face life's troubles and the competitive world of gymnastics.
1. Something New

**Title: **We'll Make It Through

**Characters: **Emily and Damon

**Summary: **Damon went after Emily. He wanted to be there for her and for their baby. Follow Damon and Emily, the wannabe rock star and the elite gymnast, as they face life's troubles and the competitive world of gymnastics.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Make it or Break it_. If I did, the show would probably be centered around Emily and Damon. LOL. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: <strong>Something New

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><p>Damon Young had been on a bus for hours. The bus ride to Las Vegas had been a long one. Emily's mom gave him the address of the hotel she was staying at, as well as her room number. He also found out her godmother, when she arrived, had told her that she couldn't stay in her apartment because of a "no kids" policy and Emily was seventeen and had a child on the way. He knew Emily has reluctantly called and left the address and room numbers to her mother. Damon knew that Emily knew that her mother deserved at least that. Emily's mom gave him the information when he made the decision to go after Emily.<p>

The bright Las Vegas sun shone down on him as he stepped off the bus. He heard music playing from a young woman's, who had also gotten off the bus, iPod.

_We are crushed and created  
>We are melted and made<br>We are broken and built up, in the very same way  
>What I thought I could handle<br>What I thought I could take  
>What I thought would destroy me leaves me stronger in its wake<em>

_It leaves me stronger_

Damon chuckled to himself. That song reminded him so much of Emily.

He was now standing in front of the Marriot Courtyard Hotel. He wondered how she could have afforded it.

This was a new chapter of his life. He had never expected to be a father at nineteen. He never expected to ruin someone's life, especially an elite gymnast. He knew that he and Emily were meant to be, he had always known that. He just thought the whole family thing would come much later when Emily had won the Olympics and ended her career and after he had toured the world.

He walked up to the young woman at the front desk. The blonde, twenty-one year old looked up and smiled, "Hi," she began, in a flirty tone, "May I help you?"

Damon almost laughed. He had always been taken for older than he really was. He gave her a serious look, though. His life was not so funny anymore.

"Yes. I'm looking for my _girlfriend_, Emily Kmetko, she is supposed to be in Room 508. Can you tell me where the elevator is?"

The college girl's giddy smile dropped and she replied, "Down the hall, to the right," in a monotone voice.

"Thanks," he nodded.

Within minutes, he was standing in front of her door scrounging up the courage to knock. A few minutes later, he did.

When Emily opened the door, she looked as if she had been crying.

_She had every right too, _Damon thought_, with what is going on and everything that has happened. _

She stared at him.

"What are you doing here?" she muttered.

"Emily, I am here for you," his eyes moved to her stomach where there was not bump in sight, yet, "And for him or her. Look, I love _you_. What happened with Kaylie meant nothing. Please just let me in. Please talk to me."

He could tell she was contemplating it, but with a sigh, she surrendered.

"Come in."

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><p><strong>The first chapter is kind of short. The other ones will be longer. The second chapter should be up sometime tomorrow. <strong>

**I love Damon and Emily, and though what will probably happen [on the show] is that she'll come back without having the baby, I thought I'd write the opposite. This story will probably be 10-12 chapters. :)**

**The song is: "Crushed and Created" by Caitlyn Smith. It was on MIOBI when Payson made her comeback on the bars at the end of Season 1.**


	2. Ready or Not

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Make it or Break it. _I do, in fact, own my writing, though. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: <strong>Ready or Not

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><p>He was here. He came after her. All thoughts she had about what Kaylie had told her were gone. Her prince had come and he was saying the words she wanted to hear. Then there was one of her best friend's names, <em>Kaylie<em>. One of her best friends whose secret preempted her run. She had taken the last of her NGO money from Mr. Tanner, that he mother refused to give up and came here. Now, he was saying that it meant nothing.

_That's what all boys say, _Lauren had once told her after Carter has turned down Lauren, _They tgell you it means nothing, but it always means something_.

"Please just let me in. Please talk to me," Damon pleaded.

She stared at him for a long time before saying, "Come in."

She stepped aside, making room for him. When Damon was inside, she shut the door. She sat down across from Damon. For a moment, all you could hear was the playing of music coming from outside.

_And if you have a minute, why don't we go  
>Talk about it somewhere only we know?<br>This could be the end of everything  
>So why don't we go somewhere only we know?<br>Somewhere only we know_

Emily cleared her throat, after a minute or so, and finally spoke up, "So you want to be here for me."

The words came out more as a statement, not as a question like she meant it.

Damon nodded fervently, "Yes."

"And you said you love me?" she asked.

He nodded again, replying, "Yes."

She turned to face him directly, "Then why did you kiss Kaylie? You _know_ she is one of my best friends."

Damon shook his head, "I don't know why I kissed her. I guess I was caught up in the moment, caught up in the song I was writing."

"Well, you know what they tell you about being caught up in the moment!" she mumbled.

"No, I don't. What do they tell you?" He asked, catching her off guard.

Emily stumbled on trying to reply. She felt her cheeks become warn and knew that a red blush was creeping up her cheeks. Finally, she mumbled, "Never mind."

"Look, Emily, we weren't together—"

She cut him off, "I doesn't matter if we weren't together! You _knew_ that Kaylie was one of my best friends! And you should have known that I still had feelings for you!"

Damon ran his hand through his hair, "Honestly, Emily, I wasn't sure anymore. I felt like our relationship was becoming a push-pull game."

"A push-pull game?" she snapped, "If that's what you feel our relationship is, then you can _leave_, because you have no reason to be here!"

"Yes, I do. Emily, I said I wasn't sure and maybe at one point it was push-pull and only because you were pushing me away Emily. But I don't want it to be that way anymore. That day you came to my apartment, I didn't know what to say. Once the words came out of your mouth, my head started spinning. You sounded happy. I didn't understand why. Your dream was falling apart. In that moment, I didn't care as much about my dreams, as much as I did about yours. Then, you left. You never showed back up at my apartment. I went to your mom, she tells me you've gone to Las Vegas. Look, Emily, I'm not ready to be a father and I know you're not ready to be a mother. But it's happening. And _I love you_ and _our _baby and I want to be here every step of the way."

She heard him take a deep breath. He was waiting for her response.

"I want you to be here too," she murmured, "I never stopped loving you, I just couldn't deal with the stress, at the time, of both. Then, before I knew what was happening, everything I had worked so hard for was falling apart."

Damon nodded understandingly, "If it helps Austin punched me in the stomach."

She smirked, "Why?"

He saw me outside, when I told Kaylie I was leaving, and he immediately thought something else. Kaylie explained to him what I was really doing there, but that was after I got punched. I probably deserved it."

They sat in silence for a few more seconds.

"Can I ask you something personal?" he asked. She nodded, "How did you afford this hotel?"

"When I found out Mr. Tanner was my NGO scholarship, I refused to take any more of it. My mom made me keep what was left for that month, though, and she said something about how 'you never know when you might need it.' So she kept it in out closet. When I left, I took most of it with me, because I thought I might need it for the baby. When I got to my godmother's, she told me about the policy and helped me look for a hotel. I paid enough for around a three week stay, here. I never wanted to ever use Mr. Tanner's money, but I felt like I had no other choice."

Damon nodded in an understanding way.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

Damon pushed himself off the couch and walked over to her. Sitting down next to her he said, "We are going to have a baby, if you still want that," She shook her head 'yes', "And I'm going to be here, with you, every step of the way. Like you mom told me once, _'Ready or not, it's happening_.'"

Emily took his hand in hers, "Ready or not, it's happening," she repeated.

_Ready or Not. _

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><p><strong>Review please! By the way, the couples [besides Emily and Damon] in this novel will be KaylieAustin, Sasha/Summer, and you get to choose who you want for Payson: Max or Nicky. As for Lauren, she is probably going to stay single, but if you want her to be paired with someone specific, speak now. **

**This chapter was longer than the last, but I promise they will get even longer. :)  
><strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)**


	3. Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello

**A/N: **The song in the last chapter was, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, but I used the Glee Cast Version of it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Make it or Break it. _If I did the show would probably be centered around Emily and Damon relationship, Max and Payson's relationship, and Kaylie and Austin's relationship. I do, in fact, own my own writing though. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: <strong>Say Goodbye to the Way It Was Before, Say Hello to a New Day

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><p>Emily woke up, in Damon's arms, around three in the morning to her cell phone going off. She scooted out of his grasp and grabbed her phone.<p>

NOTE TO SELF: _FLIGHT TO RIO IN 2 HOURS. MEET AT AIRPORT IN 30 MINUTES._

She sighed in frustration. She had forgotten to take the notices off her phone. Last night, talking with Damon, she had been ready, for the most part, to have this baby and give up on her dreams. Seeing this message, she wanted to have her dream back—but she also wanted the baby. Could she ever have both? She doubted it. She had barely been able to balance gymnastics and a job, there was no way she would be able to balance gymnastics and a baby, even with help from Damon, her mother, and her brother. Plus, she lives in Las Vegas, now. So she did not have a gym that would take her (or one that could come slightly close to understanding) after nine months and Damon would be the only person there to help her.

None of that would be possible anymore, anyway. Not just because of balancing things or where she was located or the fact that her body was undergoing changes. More like the NGO would _never_ let her back in, especially with Ellen Beals still around.

Emily put her cell phone back on the side tables. It was too much to think about right now.

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><p>The next time Emily woke up, it was seven in the morning. As she opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with Damon.<p>

"Good morning," He said, quietly. She was about to respond when, suddenly, she felt sick.

"Excuse me!" She shouted, running towards the bathroom.

"_Emily?"_ She could hear the concern in his voice, "Are you okay?"

"Morning sickness," she mumbled.

"Can I get you anything?" Damon asked.

_A new body_, Emily though. But she was not going to tell him that. He was being so sweet and she did not want to ruin it with a snarky comment that she barely meant.

She shook her head 'no.'

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><p>The next day it happened again. It wasn't like Emily hadn't seen it coming. She had. She just hated it.<p>

When she came out of the bathroom, for what seemed like the millionth time (though it had only been the third time), Damon had the television on.

"What are you watching?" She asked.

"News," He replied.

Emily stood there slightly shocked, slightly understanding. She had never picture Damon as a news watching person.

She walked over and sat down next to him.

"Damon?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to talk about us," she stated.

Damon stared at her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, are we boyfriend and girlfriend, now, or what?"

"I thought we were back together," he told her, "When I said that I loved you and that I wanted to be a family, I thought…"

"Oh," Emily stated, "I guess you are right."

Damon chuckled, "We should make it official though. Emily Kmetko, will you be my girlfriend—_again_?"

She nodded as music started playing on the television.

_Let's light up the world tonight  
>You gotta give up the fun and bite<br>I know that we've got the look alright  
>Come on and light light light it up light it up tonight<br>_

"_The United States of America's team brought home the gold from the World Championship," _the news reporter broadcasted, _"This was a surprising win for the U.S. Team, who was in fourth place at the end of round one."_

Now, Emily's attention was no longer on her boyfriend and fully on the television.

"_In addition, it was thought that their performances and scores may be impacted the second day of Worlds, when National Champion and team captain, Kaylie Cruz, announced that she had not torn her ACL, but that she was fighting an eating disorder. Her teammates, though, stood proudly behind her. And she performed a superb comeback floor routine."_

A picture of Kaylie, Lauren, Payson, and Kelly Parker hugging flashed up on the screen.

Emily's eyes widened.

_When did they become friends?, _she wondered, when a new song started playing from the television.

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>I was enchanted to meet you<em>

"_As long as we are talking about Kaylie Cruz," _the female reporter said, taking over,_"It was also confirmed today that Ms. Cruz is dating—and very much in love with, now boyfriend, world-renown male gymnast, Austin Tucker."_

A picture of the cute couple shown on the screen.

"Totally saw that coming," Emily said to no one in particular.

Damon rolled her eyes, "This coming from the girl who believed that there was something big going on with Kaylie and me."

Emily slugged his shoulder, "Watch it."

Looking at Emily's expression, Damon realized something, "You miss them, don't you? And you miss Boulder."

Emily hesitated, and then nodded, "Yeah."

"Do _you want _to go _home_?" he asked.

She sat their quietly for a few minutes. How could she go home? The world of gymnastics, her friends, her coach, her mom, her brother…they were all there and they knew how badly she had messed up. How could she face that? Then again, maybe she could. Kaylie faced the press about her eating disorder. Even though being pregnant and an eating disorder were two totally different things, she thought maybe she _could _do it. At least, unlike Kaylie, she would not have the press hounding her about it. She also knew she needed her family, friends, and Damon. And she knew she couldn't get through this without the support.

"Yes," she replied.

_Say goodbye, say goodbye to the way I was before. Say hello, say hello to a new way. I was lost, but I found what I was looking for. Waking up, waking up to a new day…_

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><p><strong>Review please! So, I meant for the chapters to get longer, I feel as if this may have gotten shorter…oh well. They <strong>_**should **_**get longer since Emily and Damon will be heading back to Boulder and there will be more drama there. This chapter does take place during 2x20. If you have any ideas for the story, let me know, or if you have sometime you'd like to see when they get back to Boulder, leave it in a review. :)  
><strong>

**As for couples update, where last chapter I asked who you wanted with Payson, a few people voted and I looked at the results and then I went and watched 2x20 and decided, yes, it would be Max. They are so cute together. And another **_**yay! **_**that Kaylie and Austin are **_**officially **_**dating on the show :) Huge fan of them. **

**I might update this story tomorrow, if I have time. Otherwise it probably won't get updated till sometime next week. I stayed up late hand-writing this chapter and listening to **_**Glee's, **_**"I Love New York/New York, New York" mash-up and **_**Glee's**_** version of, "For Good" to keep me awake and writing. **

**The songs in this chapter:**

"**Light Up The World" by the Cast of **_**Glee**_** (it's one of their original songs)**

"**Enchanted" by Taylor Swift**

"**New Day" by Tamar **_**Kaprelian**_

_**Oh, and if you like (only if you like, please) **__**Glee**__**, **__**Gilmore Girls**__**, or **__**iCarly**_**, you can click on my profile and read my stories for them. (Just so you know if you go read those I ship Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Kurt/Blaine, and Sam/Mercedes for **_**Glee. **_**I also have one story for a mother-daughter-grandfather family confrontation under Quinn/Beth ; Rory/Logan, Luke/Lorelai for **_**Gilmore Girls**_**; Sam/Freddie for **_**iCarly**_**). **


	4. Home Sweet Boulder

**Chapter 4: **Home Sweet Boulder

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Make it or Break it._ If I did, it would revolve around the Emily/Damon, Austin/Kaylie, Payson/Max relationships. I do own my own writing, though. :)

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><p>"Are you sure you have everything?" Damon asked Emily.<p>

She nodded, "For the millionth time, _yes_. All I brought was this bad and the clothes on my back."

Damon muttered some kind of 'sorry' and picked up his own bag.

"Hey, so they refunded the money? I was only here one week and a half, I paid for three," she asked.

"Yes, Em. They were willing too, except for the forty dollar cancellation fee, which I paid."

"Okay," she mumbled, picking up her bag.

Damon rushed to her side, "Let me carry that for you."

She was not going to argue with him.

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><p>The next morning, they were in Boulder.<p>

"_Emily!_" Chloe Kmetko screamed. She ran to her daughter, "Oh My God, Emily! Don't ever run away, again."

"_Em!" _Three other girls screamed. Lauren, Payson, and Kaylie ran up to her.

"I thought you might like to see them, so I called," Damon whispered in Emily's ear. She nodded.

Payson was the first to speak up, "I was planning to give you a whole speech on how you're ruining your career again, but I'm just _so glad_ you are back in Boulder!"

"We're okay…right?" Kaylie asked. Emily nodded, "We're good."

The two girls hugged. It was then that Emily saw Kelly Parker standing awkwardly a few feet behind. Emily did not know the whole story, but she knew enough that the girls had some kind of truce. Emily nodded at Kelly and Kaylie knew what that meant.

"Kelly," Kaylie began, "You can come up here, it's okay."

Kelly looked up and walked towards the group, passing Damon, Chloe, and Emily's brother, Bryan, on the way.

"So," Lauren began, "Are you having the baby? Oh, and are you and Damon back together?"

"_Lauren_," Payson scolded, "Really? You're going to ask that now?"

"We _are _her best friends, Pay," Lauren retaliated.

"It's okay," Emily replied, "Um, yes, actually, to both."

A quiet Kelly spoke up, "What about your gymnastics?"

They all looked at her.

"What I mean is, you're a fantastic gymnast. From coming where you came from, being the underdog, you could easily have a chance at the gold in the 2012 Olympics."

"Um, thanks," Emily responded, "I really want it all back, _but _I feel that I really have to do this."

They all stood there awkwardly for a moment. Then Emily spoke up, "So, congrats at Worlds. You guys did amazing."

"You watched?" Kelly asked.

Emily shook her head, "I missed the actual competition, but Damon had the news on one day and I saw the picture of you guys and the story," She turned to Kaylie, "And the story about that you are dating Austin."

Lauren giggled, "Aren't they adorable?"

Kaylie turned about three shades of red as Emily, Payson, and Kelly nodded.

"Payson has a boyfriend too," Kaylie blurted out, trying to get the attention off her. It was now Payson's turn to turn to blush.

"Max," Payson murmured.

Kaylie and Kelly waited for Lauren's reaction to this. All Lauren did was smile. She had been through so much drama in the last year (that she was usually the cause of) she decided on just being happy for her friend.

"I'm not surprised," Emily replied, "He was always taking pictures of you and flirting with you."

"Even if you were totally oblivious to it, Pay," Kaylie added.

Damon walked over as Chloe and Bryan walked in

"We should get going. We have to get your stuff to my apartment," He looked at the five girls who were chattering, "That is…unless you want to go tothe Rock and you guys can talk more…"

The five girls stopped talking.

_Oh God, I shouldn't have said that_, Damon thought.

Emily thought about it. Her whole "face your fears" motto was running through her mind.

_Even the best fall down sometimes, even the wrong words seem to rhyme, out the doubt that fills your mind…_

"Yes," she whispered, surprising everyone around her.

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><p><strong>So, this was supposed to be a super long chapter where she returns to Boulder and the gym and everyone at the gym's reaction and the beginning of her talk with Sasha. But instead, I decided to make it a <strong>_**super **_**short chapter and just have Emily and the girls reunite. A fluffy, light-hearted, friendship scene before all the drama that comes her way (more than just the pregnancy, well it does revolve around that). **

**The song is: "Collide" by Howie Day.  
><strong>

_**Please**_** review! And if you have any ideas or anything you want to see in the story, leave it in the reviews and I may just add it in. :)**


	5. Keep Holding On

**Chapter 5: **Keep Holding On

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><p><strong>Pairings: <strong>Emily/Damon, Max/Payson, and Kaylie/Austin

**A/N: **They are preparing for Olympic Team practice, that's why Kelly's there and not at Denver.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I still do not own _Make it or Break it_. If I did, this story would become reality for the television show. And the show would be centered around the relationships listed above. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

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><p>As they turned into the <em>Rock <em>parking lot, Kaylie spoke up, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Damon nodded, agreeing with Kaylie, "You don't have to go in Emily. It just came out of my mouth at the bus station. Maybe it's not—"

"I'm going to go in," Emily stated, "I have every right to walk in there and talk with my friends and watch them practice."

Damon sighed, "Fine. But I'm going in with you."

Everyone else in the car knew that, _that_ wasn't the best idea. But they knew that they couldn't stop him.

"Let me walk in ahead, so Austin doesn't feel the need to come in and punch anyone for ruining someone's life," Kaylie told them.

When they all got out of the car, the paparazzi swarmed them.

"Just walk past quietly and ignore them," Payson said, "They are probably here because of Kaylie's revelation and with her dating Austin."

Payson was right. Emily heard the words _eating disorder_ and _Austin Tucker_ within the mass of chattering reporters.

But when the media saw Emily, who was holding hands with Damon, they stopped talking.

"Emily _Kmetko_?" One of the reporters piped up, "What are you doing _back_? Wait…forget that…_where_ have you _been_? _What happened?_"

"Just ignore them and keep walking," Lauren whispered, "They'll leave you alone."

But they didn't, the questions kept on coming.

All of the sudden, an international reporter stepped up.

"You don't _know_?" The international reporter scoffed at the rest of the media, "They had to wait until after Worlds to release it, so I guess it makes sense that you may not know yet. Anyway, it was just released this morning that gymnast—or should I say _former _gymnast, Emily Kmetko, is _pregnant_."

Before she knew what was happening, Emily was blinded by camera flashes and more reporters shouting.

_Smile for the camera, everybody's looking at you. Smile for the camera 'cuz they're all about to trash you…_

Emily shielded her eyes while Payson, Damon, Lauren, and Kelly helped her through the crowd.

"Leave her _alone_!" Kelly shouted before closing the _Rock _doors.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked her.

Emily nodded, even though she knew _that_ nod, _that _'yes', was a complete lie.

xxx

Kaylie ran up to her boyfriend, who had just gotten off the rings.

"Aus—"

Austin looked up to see Damon entering the gym behind Lauren, Payson, and Kelly.

"What is he—"

Kaylie stopped her boyfriend from moving forward, "Look, Austin. He came that day to tell me that he loved Emily and that he was going after her to be with her and the baby. Now, I know you're protective of me and of your friends, _but _he's a good guy who loves Emily and Emily loves him. You don't have to worry."

He had been looking at Kaylie, while she was talking, and he hadn't seen Emily enter the gym with Damon.

"She's back?" He asked when he spotted Emily.

"Not _exactly_," Kaylie began, "She's back in Boulder, but she is going to have the baby."

Max walked up to the couple, "What's going on?"

Kaylie reiterated the story, "Emily's back in Boulder to have the baby with her boyfriend."

"Damon?" Mac asked.

"What I wanted to tell you both was that, outside, the paparazzi just found out about her pregnancy. If ever you're around her and they are hounding her, fend them off," Kaylie stated, "_Got it?_"

Max nodded, going off to join Payson.

"I love you," Austin murmured to his girlfriend.

Kaylie smiled, "I love you too."

xxx

Emily could feel the eyes on her as she entered the _Rock_.

_Maybe, this was a bad idea, _she thought.

"I shouldn't be here," Emily mumbled.

Payson looked at her, "Em, you're going to be fine. You made the choice to come in here and face your fears and to let them know what is really going on , compared to all the rumors swirling about _who, what, when, where, why, how_."

Emily looked at her friend, "Rumors swirling?"

Lauren giggled, "Like that one about—"

Payson shot her a look and the champion of the beam went silent.

"You can either come in here and face them," Kelly spoke up, pointing toward the other staring gymnasts and their parents, "Or you can go back out there in the mob of reporters and face the world."

Payson looked at the Denver Elite gymnast and nodded, "Yeah. Listen to Kelly, she's right."

Lauren, Emily, Max (who had just walked up), and even Kelly stared at her. They all might be friends now but that coming from Payson is still odd.

"Oh My God, I'm losing my mind," Payson stated and walked off towards the floor routine mats.

"We should go too," Lauren added, walking off. Kelly followed her.

As they walked away, Kaylie and Austin walked up.

"Emily," Austin acknowledged, "It's great to have you back—I mean—"

She laughed, "I know what you meant."

"What did you come here for?" When Max realized how his question sounded, he backed up, adding, "I mean—"

"That's okay. I just wanted to come visit, talk with my friends, and, um, watch."

That's when she saw Sasha's shadow on his office wall. He was in his office.

_It's now or never._

"Hey, um, excuse me for a second," she told her friends.

When they realized where she was going, Austin whispered, "_What is she doing?_ _She's crazy to go in there!_"

Kaylie smiled, "She's fighting for her right."

xxx

She stood there, scrounging up the courage to knock.

_You never know until you try. _

She knocked.

"Come in," came his voice.

"Sasha, I need to talk to you about—"

The _Rock _coach looked up.

"_Emily?"_

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was…interesting to write. I love to write, but I don't usually like to write scenes with more than two or three people in them. Group scenes are hard to write because one person talks, then you try and put <strong>_**everyone's **_**reaction and you have to figure out how to transition to the next person…and yeah. **

_**Anyways, **_**the next chapter in Emily and Sasha talking about her Olympic spot. I don't know how long it's going to be and if you have any ideas on how reactions should be or what should be said, leave you idea in the reviews **_**please! **_**:) After that, the next chapter will be of Emily moving in with Damon, Damon getting a part-time job to help support them, Razor's reaction (want to guess Damon's side job now? LOL), and Em talking to Kelly. The chapter after that will four or five months later and they find out if it's a boy or a girl. And yes, I'm making Kelly Parker nice, especially after the last few episodes of MIOBI where you saw it wasn't all her. It was her mother.  
><strong>

**The story total will probably have 14 to 16 chapters. **

**So, next question: **_**How should Razor react? **_**Leave you comments in the reviews and, well, **_**please **_**review! :)**

**Song: "Falling Down" by Selena Gomez**

**And by the way, if any of you are Kaylie/Austin fans, like me, I have another MIOBI one-shot about them called, _There's Just Something About Her_.  
><strong>


	6. Taking Chances

**Chapter 6: **Taking Chances

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I still don't own _Make it or Break it_. Wish I did. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>"<em>Emily?<em>" Sasha's voice rose, "What the hell are you doing here? The last time I heard you left to raise your baby with your boyfriend, Damon. Unless, the gymnast's gossip was false and you have comeback to…"

Sasha faded out, hopeful. Truthfully, he didn't want to see one of his best gymnasts, who had fought so hard to rid herself of her underdog title, give up everything she had worked for.

Emily shook her head, "No. I'm back in Boulder with Damon to have the baby. I'm not back at the Rock—_yet_…"

"Yet? What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

Emily shuffled her feet.

"That's actually what I came here to talk to you about."

She cleared her throat, "Um, well, I was wondering…"

"Speak up," Sasha demanded.

Emily sighed and let her request be known.

"After I have my baby, I want back in. I want back in the Rock. I want back on the National Team. I want to go to the Olympics!"

Sasha threw the stack of papers he was holding on the desk in front of him.

"Are you kidding me, Emily? I don't think you understand. You're going to have so much new responsibility."

"Yes, but in seven and half months, I won't be. I will be a mother and have a child, but I won't be incapable of performing clean routines," she replied.

Sasha huffed, "Like I said Emily, you're going to be responsible for another person—you can't honestly believe that you can train most of your day and still take care of your child!"

Emily took a step forward.

"I know. But I also have Damon, my mom…Summer offered to help me when she wasn't working and Mrs. Cruz—or formerly Mrs. Cruz, whatever—also offered to watch him or her when Damon's down in their recording studio. And I will take care of him or her. It would only be for a few moths—until the 2012 Olympics are over."

Sasha sighed, "Emily, _you're pregnant_! You're going to have a _child_! You don't get it. Your body is going to change drastically after that!"

"You don't think I don't know that I'm pregnant?" she snapped back, "You don't think I know that when I see a small bump sticking out from my torso? Or when the first doctor's bill came in? Or when I made the decision to have him or her? I _know_. And as for my body, yes, it will change, but I talked to my mom and she said that hers didn't change a ton until after she had my brother. So, I can come back as a power gymnast. If it does change too much, I'll be an artistic gymnast, like Payson!"

"_Emily…_"

"Just please," she begged, "Give me a chance, Sasha. Seven and a half months from now, I'll prove to you that your decision to keep me was well worth it."

As Sasha thought it out, lyrics from a song that had been playing in Lauren's car on the way over to the gym played over and over in Emily's head because they pertained to her situation right now.

_But what do you take to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing if there's solid ground below or a hand to hold or hell to pay…what do you say? What do you say?_

"Fine," Sasha began. Emily smiled, "_But_ you will have to prove to me, when you return to training, that my decision was the right one. If you fail to prove yourself, though, I'll cut you from the team. Deal?"

"Deal," she replied.

"One more thing, Emily," Sasha called out, "Before anything else, it will have to be approved by the NGO. I will work my hardest to prove them that they should put you back on, so will Summer and Mrs. Keeler, but with Ellen Beals you never know."

Emily nodded and turned for the door. One moment she had been filled with hope, the next uncertainty. She had a feeling the next seven and a half months were going to be going to be a lot like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! Yeah, it's a little short. The next one should come faster (and longer). <strong>

**In order to make my long author notes' short, if you have any questions about anything in the story, this chapter, or even maybe want an idea of what's coming in the story, head over to my blog/tumblr: **http:/ life liberty and the pursuit of glee . tumblr .com **(without the spaces of couse), and ask any of those questions by clicking on the "Ask" button on the top of the page and the you submit the question and _you DO NOT have to have an account to submit questions_. :)**

**Song: "Taking Chances" (Originally by: Celine Dion; Covered by: _Glee_)**

**Oh, and how should Razor react when he finds out? **

**Please review (and ask questions on my tumblr)! :)  
><strong>


	7. Changed For The Better

**Chapter 7: **Changed For The Better

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. If I did, we wouldn't be waiting forever to hear if MIOBI was renewed. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>"Welcome to your new home," Damon stated as he opened the door to his apartment.<p>

Emily looked to see most of her things stacked on one side of the room.

"When did—" she pointed to the pile.

"Your mom said that she had your stuff in her car and that she was willing to bring it over while we were at the gym. So, I gave her a spare key and she brought your stuff over," Damon answered as he locked the door behind them.

Emily walked over to her things and started sifting through them.

"Um," Damon began, looking around, "You can have the entire closet—I don't use it much, only for the one suit and few dress shirts I own and there are a few shoes of mine on the floor of the closet, but it doesn't take up much space. There is also room in the two bottom drawers of the dresser over there. I am going to clear off a few shelves in the bathroom cabinet for you. You can put extra pillows on our bed—" Emily smiled at the way he said _'our'_, "—And blankets, if you'd like. There's room for your books and stuff over in the nightstand drawer and the shelf by it."

Emily nodded.

"Thanks."

She began to lift up a box. Damon dropped the pile of mail in his hand and ran over to her.

"You should _not _be lifting heavy things!" He took the box out of her hands.

Emily rolled her eyes, "I'm _barely _two and a half months pregnant. I can handle a box."

Damon ignored her and sat the box down by the bookshelf.

"What's in here? Your school books?"

"No," she responded, "I actually graduated early because of Summer and Razor's help in my homeschooling."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I honestly didn't think it was that big of a deal. Besides, the Rock girls' graduation ceremony isn't until a four months before the Olympics. I just don't have to do schoolwork like Payson, Kaylie, and Lauren for the months leading up to then. "

Damon sat down on the floor next to his girlfriend.

"So Sasha really let you back on the team?" he questioned.

Emily nodded turning to him.

"Yeah," she began, "I mean he was completely against it when I walked in there and asked him. But when I proceeded to argue with him about it, he finally gave in. The thing is, though, I will have to prove myself and if I don't I will be cut from the team. Oh, and I have to get it approved by the NGO, which, with Ellen Beals there, is going to be almost impossible. But Sasha said he'd try his hardest to convince them."

Damon nodded and spoke up, "By the way, since you mentioned Razor, I've been thinking that I should get a job."

"You have a job," she stated, "You record music."

Damon ran his hand through his hair.

"Right now, until the record is finished, it doesn't really pay anything. If it was just me, it would be enough to live on. But it's you, me, and the little one and with the entire doctor's bills that are coming and how much everything will cost—"

She cut him off, "Then I'll get a job. You shouldn't have to pay for everything. And the doctor's bills are covered by my insurance from the gym, Summer told me before we left, so we don't have to worry about that. As for the other stuff, that will be harder, but like I said, I will get a job."

Damon shook his head.

"Emily, you're pregnant. You need to take care of yourself and the baby."

She sighed.

"_Damon_…"

"Besides, didn't you talk to Summer and Mrs. Keeler about helping out at the _Rock_? Just focus on those things."

Emily rolled her eyes knowing the argument was pointless.

"Fine. But where are you going to work?" she asked.

"The _Pizza Shack_," he responded at the same time someone knocked on the door.

Damon stood up and went over the door.

"Um, hi," the voice came, "I came here to talk to Emily. Is she here?"

Damon nodded, "Em, Kelly Parker's at the door."

_Why is she here? I mean I know we have a truce and everything but why would she come here?, _Emily thought as she picked herself up off the floor.

"I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be in the bathroom, clearing off some shelves if you need me," Damon told them, pointing towards the bathroom.

Emily ushered Kelly into the apartment as Damon headed towards the bathroom.

"What are you doing here? What do you need to talk to me about?" Emily asked her.

Kelly sat down next to the pregnant gymnast.

"I came to talk to you about _me_."

"Well, that's in typical Kelly Parker fashion," Emily mumbled.

"_No, I didn't mean—_I came to talk to you about why Kaylie, Lauren, Payson, and I sort of became friends," Kelly defended. She looked up at Emily, who nodded for her to continue.

"My mother, otherwise known to many in the competitive world of gymnastics as Kelly Parker's mana-momster: manager, slash mother, always pushed me. She signed my college scholarship eligibility away at the age of nine. She pushed me to get Carter, Lauren and Kaylie's ex, to go out with me because that would cause a tabloid frenzy, even though she knew I liked another guy at Denver named Ethan. She was always the one behind the things I did, how I acted. I did everything for her because, if I didn't, she'd guilt me with the fact that she had a failed marriage with my father all because focused on me and this sport."

_That's terrible_, Emily thought to herself.

"A few days after Damon left to go after you, she guilted me into stealing Kaylie's diary and showing her. Then she tried to guilt me into giving Ellen Beals, Kaylie's diary, so I'd be team captain, not Kaylie. It was then that Kaylie tried to befriend me and invited me to the Tanner's party the day before we left for Worlds. So, I 'fessed up on what I had been told to do and gave her the diary back, telling her that I was completely sorry. She, obviously, was mad and said that she wanted nothing to do with me. That night was also the night that Max and Lauren got into a car accident and Lauren was fine but Max broke his collarbone—"

"Lauren was still going after Max?" Emily questioned.

"Yeah," Kelly nodded, "All the way until that night actually, when she went into his hospital room and while he was half-conscious, half-not and he whispered for Payson, not Lauren. That's where it ended."

Emily nodded.

"Anyway, I went to the hospital and Kaylie snapped at me and I told that I thought that is what 'teammates did.' She told me off, so I resorted to my old attitude. The first day of the World trials was a complete disaster. Sasha put us in a room and made us stay there until we worked out our problems. I told them that even though the first day—when they hated me—that I knew they were fake cheering for me, but it felt good anyways. I've never had real friends. My mom would never let me have any because she saw them as competition, as enemies. In that moment, we finally came to good terms with each other, we became real friends,_ real_ teammates. And now, I want us to become friends too," Kelly confessed.

Emily had been sitting there for the last five minutes listening to the girl who was supposed to be her competition (as well as her teammate) confess everything to her.

"I'd like that," Emily responded, "Being friends."

Kelly smiled. All she had ever wanted was friends and now she had four.

"And another thing, I'm leaving Denver," Kelly told her, "I'm moving to the_ Rock._ I want to be somewhere when I'm wanted, where I have friends, and where my coach actually cares."

Emily smiled, "That's great. But what does your mom think?"

"I honestly don't care what she thinks," Kelly stated, "But she doesn't like it, but she knows now that she can't stop me."

The two girls talked for ten more minutes before Kelly decided she needed to go.

As Kelly headed towards the door, she turned around.

"So, I heard you're coming back to the _Rock_ after the baby is born…" Kelly started.

"Yep," Emily nodded, "Well, _maybe_. I talked to Sasha about it and, trust me, it was not easy. I had to fight for it. I still have to because Sasha said the NGO has to approve, which leads me to think they won't approve, no matter how hard Sasha and the _Rock _fight for my spot."

"Along with Lauren, Kaylie, and Payson, as your friend, I'll try to help," Kelly told her, "Oh, and Emily, I wasn't kidding earlier when I said that you really could come out to win it all."

Kelly walked out into the hallway and Emily shut the door.

_She really has 'changed for the better'_, Emily thought as she walked towards the bathroom, where Damon was clearing off shelves.

_Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you–I have been changed for good…_

* * *

><p><strong>Updated! Yay! This was, in a way, a filler chapter and not. I needed to put a scene where Emily moves in with Damon and where Kelly and Emily talk about being friends and how the other three Rock girls and Kelly become friends. The next chapter includes Razor (and him finding out), which will be dramatic. Along with a few other things. After that, Damon and Emily find out the gender of the baby and there's also a SashaSummer surprise in that chapter [or maybe the chapter before, I don't know...].**

**I know for a _fact_ now that this story will be twenty chapters, with a four-part epilogue (which follows the timeline, except for the last part is most likely two or three years into the future). **

**Lastly, _please please please please please _review! In order to write, I need reviews. :) By the way, anonymous reviews are enabled, so you don't have an account to review. :)**

**Song: "For Good" (Originally _Wicked, _also covered by _Glee_)  
><strong>


	8. Life's Lessons

**Chapter 8: **Life's Lessons

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. If I did, we wouldn't have an incredibly long hiatus. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>About two weeks after Emily had moved in with him, Damon went and applied for a part-time job at the <em>Pizza Shack<em>. They reluctantly gave him his old job back. He would be working with Razor from noon to five-thirty on Mondays and five to nine-thirty on Fridays.

"You start today, don't you?" Emily asked him.

He nodded, turning from his place at the kitchen sink where he had been washing dishes, to face his pregnant girlfriend who was sitting at the table eating a sandwich before she headed out to the _Rock _to watch the other gymnasts train and find some way to make herself useful over there while she was unable to train.

"Yep."

"You're working with Razor, aren't you?"

"Uh huh."

"Does he know about—" she pointed to the small bump sticking out of her torso.

"The baby?" Damon stated.

Emily nodded.

"No. I haven't seen him in a while and I didn't tell anyone after you told me, well except for my mom. But it's not like she needs to know, anyway—" Emily knew Damon wasn't particularly close with his mother, who lived in New Jersey with her second husband. As for Damon's father, well, he was not around and hadn't been since Damon was seven, "As for Payson, Lauren, and Kaylie, I didn't tell them. Maybe, your mom did."

Emily turned towards him.

"Actually, I told Payson, who probably told Kaylie and Lauren."

Damon nodded in response.

"Do you want to tell him or should I?" he asked.

Emily sighed.

"I don't know. I mean I feel like _I _should tell him because I'm the one who is pregnant but he's been your friend longer…we have time, I guess. We don't have to tell him now. But if you do end up telling him—remember to give to give me a heads up."

Damon nodded, again, at his girlfriend's chatter.

"We could always tell him together."

"That's a good idea," Emily nodded.

Damon looked up at the clock on wall.

_11:40 _A.M., it read.

"Oh, crap. I've got to get going!" He threw off his white t-shirt and threw on his _Pizza Shack_ polo. He grabbed his keys and was halfway out the door when he remembered his girlfriend.

"Em," he began, "Do you need a ride? Or is you mom coming?"

"Oh, yeah. I need a ride," she jumped up from her chair, throwing her plate in the sink.

She ran to the closet and grabbed her sweat jacket. Then she ran over to the bookshelf and bent down to pick up a box labeled, _'National Team 2011/World Team 2011'_ that Summer had given her to file—or more that she asked Summer if she could file, so she could find some way to make herself useful—that she needed to take to the _Rock_. As she bent down, she looked over at Damon, giving him a questioning look.

He fought the urge to run over there and grab that box from his girlfriend's arms. He shot her a look back that meant, '_go ahead_.' He wouldn't win an argument, she was pregnant. She always won. That and she was Emily, who fought for what she believed in. He still had to bite his tongue, though, as she smiled walking towards the door, holding the semi-heavy box.

"Let's go," he sighed, opening the door.

She gave him a smirk and scurried out the door.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"_Come on!"_ her voice rang out from the hallway.

He smiled and followed her.

xxx

He had dropped Emily off at the _Rock_ and she even had let him carry the box in for her. Now, he was headed to face his old job. Or more really Razor.

His employed, Tim Donahue, met him at the door.

"Hello, Damon," the older business man said, "Nice to have you back."

Damon could sense some hostility in the air and he wasn't quite sure why, but he kept a smile on his face and replied, "Nice to be back."

"Come in," Tim ushered him in towards the kitchen, "You will working Mondays and Fridays, as you know. And you will be working with Razor this time—Emily quit awhile back."

"I know, sir," Damon retorted, "She's my girlfriend."

"Is she?" The _Pizza Shack _owner looked amused, "Anyway, get to work."

Damon mocked the man once his back was turned to him. Then he slid one of the aprons on and headed into the kitchen area.

Razor was standing there, waiting to take orders.

"_Hey, man!"_ Razor shouted, "I've missed ya! I haven't see you in _forever_. What's up?"

_Let me see, I'm running out of songs to write, I'm low on money, and, oh, I knocked Emily up. How's your month going?_, Damon thought to himself.

"Yo, buddy…" Razor waved his hand in front of Damon's face when he got no verbal response.

Damon snapped out of his thoughts.

"Not much," he mumbled, lying.

"Are you okay, dude?"

He saw Razor looked concerned.

Damon put on a smile and nodded.

"Never better."

xxx

They didn't speak for a while. Damon had no idea of what to say to him and Razor was afraid that any other questions would result in him getting his head chewed off. Razor didn't know what was wrong with Damon, he usually wasn't like this: on edge, quiet, and tense.

_Did something happen between him and Emily?_, Razor wondered.

Finally, he scrounged up the courage to ask.

"So, I didn't see Emily at the Worlds competition. My sister and I watched it and her name was never mentioned and she wasn't shown. She made the team, I remember you telling me that…oh my—is she still in jail?" Razor asked his nineteen year old best friend.

Damon shook his head.

"No. She was only there for two days and then she was released on bail. Then, a week later, she was cleared of all the charges by the _Tanner's_ lawyer, much to her chagrin of whose lawyer it was," Damon responded, while cutting the pizza.

"Oh," Razor stated, "Why wasn't she at Worlds then?"

Damon ignored the question and took the pizza he had been working on to the counter.

"Order 234, up!" he shouted. A group of college students came up and paid and took their pizza. They were the last group in the building and it was 8:25, so Damon went and flipped the _Open _sign to _Close_.

"What's with ignoring my questions, man?" Razor joked, lightly, "Wait, are you and Emily still together?"

Damon walked towards the back of the kitchen, untying the white apron he had on over his clothes.

"_Dude!_" Razor shouted, coming up behind him, "Did you guys breakup? Wait, aren't you supposed to be in L.A.? Why are you back here? It's _not_ like you need the money."

He didn't utter a single word, hoping that Razor would let him be.

"_What _the _hell_ is your _problem, dude?_" Razor snapped, "What is so freakin' wrong with your wonderful music career life that you can't even talk to me or answer my simple questions?"

Damon spun on his heels to face Razor.

"_Emily's pregnant!"_ he blurted, "That's why I had to take this job _again. _I have to provide for three, now. Because Emily's _pregnant_. _I _got _her pregnant. _I _killed_ her _dream._ It's all _my _freaking _fault._"

Razor stood there as stiff as a board and didn't utter a single word for about a minute and a half.

"Oh My God. Dude, I—" Razor fumbled over what to say and as he did, he watched Damon crumble to the ground in tears, "I'm sorry for what I just said, honestly I—" But Damon just kept on sobbing, sitting on the kitchen floor behind the order counter.

"I screwed everything up. She didn't get to go to Worlds and she might not even get to go to the Olympics even after the baby is born, even though her coach supports her, because of some stupid lady on the NGO board. That was all she _ever_ worked for. I can still record here in Boulder, but all she can do every day is go to the gym and watch or help in the office."

"Look, dude, I have never knocked a girl up before but—" At Damon's expression, Razor quickly backtracked, "Okay, so, that wasn't the best choice of words. I—uh…first, D, take a deep breath and—"

"I _can't_!" Damon retorted, "In seven months, almost six and half, I will be a father. I'm _scared _out of my frickin' mind. I've tried to play in calm and cool for Emily at home, at the gym,_ everywhere_, so as to not cause her any stress and because I love her and our kid. But I'm _scared_."

"You are going to be a great dad," Razor responded.

"How do you know that? What is I do something wrong? Hold the baby wrong? Change his or her diaper wrong? Do the wrong character voice when I'm reading him or her a bedtime story?"

Razor smiled at Damon's last worry. His "dad-mode" was kicking in.

"I don't want to be a screw up like my old man."

"_Dude_, you are nothing like you dad. _Period_. You did so well in school, you got yourself a record deal, you went on tour with Green Day, and you supported Emily in everything she did and all of her decisions. You were even willing to wait for her until after the 2012 Olympics. You're a great friend, I know that you are a great boyfriend, as well, from what Emily told me once, a great man, and you're going to be a great father to your baby. Someday, you're going to make her a great husband too. And know that I'm here for both of you if you ever need anything."

"You're awfully supportive towards someone who broke your 'bro-code' almost two years ago," Damon replied.

Razor shrugged.

"I saw she loved you and you _sincerely_ loved her. She was happy, you were happy. Once I relazlied that, I also realized…who was I to intrude?"

Damon smiled as the front door jingled, signaling someone had just walked in.

"Hello?" Emily's voice rang out throughout the almost-deserted restaurant, "Damon? Razor?"

"We're here," Razor responded, standing up.

Damon took a deep breath and also hauled himself of the floor.

"Right now, though, just keep being the supportive boyfriend to Emily that you've been being. The next few months are going to be even harder on her," Razor whispered to him.

He nodded, "Thanks, man."

"No problem, that's what I'm here for. I'm Razor the reliable guy. Or the bail-out guy, but the first one is more pertinent to the situation."

He chuckled.

"See you Friday," Damon called out over his shoulder and went to join his girlfriend.

"Does he know?" Emily whispered to him.

Damon nodded as they exited the building.

* * *

><p><strong>I just realized that this is the first chapter without song lyrics in it. Oh, well. :) This was one of my favorite chapters to write, it was interesting to write how Damon would blurt out that Em was pregnant (and break down, which I knew he had to at some point and I didn't want it to be in front of Emily) and how Razor would react. I always pictured Razor as a year older than Damon, and not just the "bail out guy" or his friend, but also as his brother figure, because Damon didn't have any immediate family he was particularly close with. (Remember when Damon said his dad taught him to pick locks? Yeah, that's where I got the idea that Damon's dad was estranged and probably locked up). <strong>

**Next Em and Damon will find out if they are having a boy or a girl, there will be a bit of Rock interaction at the beginning and end of that chapter as well as a Sasha/Summer surprise. Then, a particularly fluffy chapter. After that, for at least 2-3 chapters, the fluffiness factor goes down and the drama rises. **

**Anyways, _please _review! Pretty please. :) 5-10 reviews for a new chapter? 10 reviews will get an even faster update. :)**


	9. Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters

**Chapter 9: **Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters

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><p><strong>AN: **This chapter is set about two months later. Emily is almost five months pregnant.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>"What time is Damon picking you up?" Summer asked Emily. She flipped through papers on her desk in the <em>Rock <em>office.

Emily turned to face her.

"1:30-ish, so in about ten or fifteen minutes. Our appointment is at 2pm."

Kim Keeler looked up from her work.

"Isn't today when you find out the gender of the baby?"

Emily nodded.

"Yeah, it is. I'm _so _nervous. I mean I don't care if it's a boy or girl, Damon says he doesn't either, but I know he's really hoping it's a girl."

"Why are you nervous?" Summer spoke up. Summer immediately regretted asking the question. Emily had a million reasons to be nervous.

"When they tell us if it's a boy or girl," Emily began, "It will all be real—not that it's not real now, it is, especially with the fact that I have a growing stomach to prove it—it will just be all that more real that there's a child growing inside of me. I told Sasha that I had it all figured out—that I knew what I was doing, but, honestly, even though I have that plan, I don't know how I'm going to put it into action. If that makes any sense—sorry, I'm just stressing out," Emily sighed.

"It's okay, sweetie," Kim started, "How about you go join the girl's down there? Looks like they are taking a break."

Emily nodded and set the file folder she was holding on Summer's desk.

"_Poor girl,"_ Kim whispered to Summer once Emily had left the office.

Emily made her way down the stairs to her friends.

"Hey, Em," Kaylie stated.

"Hey," she responded as Payson and Lauren walked up.

"So, isn't today 'finding out the gender day'?" Lauren asked.

Emily nodded.

"Told you, Payson," Lauren smirked, "Okay, so, for names, if it's a girl, I was thinking you could name her Lauren or have the middle name be Lauren. _Oh!_ You could name her Alexandra Lauren. Alexandra is my middle name."

Payson rolled her eyes.

"When did it become your kid, too?"

Lauren folded her arms.

"I was just making suggestions."

"More like orders," Payson mumbled.

Kaylie took a drink of water from her water bottle and set it down saying, "Who even says it's going to be a boy?"

Lauren turned to her.

"I know you'd like the baby to be a girl too, Miss Kaylie _Alessandria _Cruz. Alexandra would be pretty close to that."

"Who says Emily is going to even use that as one of the names?" Payson interjected again.

"People always listen to me," Lauren pouted, "They like my suggestions."

"Both Kaylie and Payson spit out the water they were drinking. Emily tried her hardest not to laugh.

"Look guys, I'm glad you all care enough to fight over baby names, but Damon's here. So, I gotta go," Emily told them.

All four heads turned to the dark-haired, nineteen year old boy standing awkwardly by the glass doors.

"Okay, but, meet us at the _Spruce Juice_, tonight? 5:30?" Kaylie questioned.

"Definitely," Emily smiled, before heading towards the door and Damon.

xxx

Damon and Emily hardly spoke on the way to the doctors. Granted, it was like a five minute drive from the _Rock_, but both of them nervous.

They walked in hand in hand into the doctor's office and up to the receptionist.

"Name please?" the older woman asked, starting up at the couple.

Emily could hear the judgment in the woman's voice and the glare wasn't kind either. Why was the woman even allowed to work here? The receptionist had to have seen a pregnant teenager before. But with a reassuring hand squeeze from Damon, she managed to squeak out, "_Emily Kmetko_."

"The _gymnast_," the receptionist replied in a monotone voice.

How did she—? That's when Emily's eyes fell upon the magazine sitting on the office desk, _International Gymnastics Magazine. _Of all the places for that magazine to be it was here in Boulder, Colorado. Then again, Colorado did have two of the most elite teams in the country, but _still_….

"The doctor will be with you in a few minutes. You can take a seat over there," the cold receptionist pointed to the waiting room.

Both Emily and Damon nodded and went to sit down.

"Do you wish your mom was here?" Damon asked quietly.

"She offered to come and I kind of wanted her to be here, but then I realized that I'm growing up and that I needed to start working things out without a parent, if I'm going to be one. _But _could you drop me off at her house afterwards?"

Damon nodded.

They sat hands entwined in silence for a while.

"How did you find out you're pregnant?" whispered Damon. The question took Emily by surprise a little. She was already almost five months and during the three and half months that both Emily and Damon had known, he'd never asked before.

"Well," she shifted in her seat a little, "It was two days after I broke up with you. It was right after our competition in Hungary. Sasha said one of the people on the international staff needed to talk to me. He came with me as I talked to this person, who told me that they saw something in my drug test. Earlier Payson had told me that sport drinks show up because of some ingredient in them, so I told him that I had a sports drink, because I did. But he responded that I was pregnant."

Damon held Emily's hand a little bit tighter as she sighed.

"Wow. I—uh—why didn't you call and tell me?"

Emily looked at him and then at the floor.

"I didn't think you wanted to talk to me after the way I treated you before I left and even at that point, I didn't know what would happen, what I was going to do."

"What did Sasha say, after they told you?"

Emily swallowed.

"He didn't really say much. I mean—he did say '_see a doctor' _and _' make your decision'_, but other than that…I just couldn't believe that was happening. I was scared and when the doctor said it was official—my mom did her best to try and support most of my decisions, but the NGO was telling me to get rid of it, that it had happened before. The guy, Marcus, was telling me that he cared about my and my mother's well-being,-that he was close to us, which was strange because before I came to the _Rock_, I don't remember _ever_ meeting him. They were telling me that a certain percent of teen fathers leave after the first year…"

Damon squeezed her hand.

"I'll never leave you or him or her."

"I know," she whispered.

"Emily? Emily Kmetko?" someone called.

Emily looked up to see a nurse walk out in her sea foam green scrubs with a clipboard. She stood up, not breaking hold of Damon's hand.

"Follow me," the nurse added.

Both of the teens took a deep breath and followed her down the hall. The room they were put in was much cheerier—it had light pinks walls with a floral pattern—much different than the rooms she had been in at the last two appointments. She kind of preferred the blander, cream colored walls of the other rooms. They made her feel safe, whereas this room made her feel alienated for being seventeen and pregnant.

"You would like to know the gender of the baby, correct?" the nurse questioned.

"Yes," the young couple responded at the same time.

Emily sat still as the nurse checked her blood pressure. During that time, the doctor walked in.

"Hi, Emily," the thirty-five year old woman said, "And this must be your boyfriend."

Damon stretched his hand forward.

"Damon Young."

"Doctor Hansen," the woman responded, shaking his hand.

She asked Emily a few routine questions before saying, "Are you ready to find out if you are having a girl or boy?"

The two nervous teens nodded.

"Okay," the doctor smiled and turned to Damon, "You can slide up your chair if you'd like."

He pushed his chair forward and took one of Emily's hands in both of his.

"This may be a little cold," the doctor warned.

Emily nodded.

Damon sucked in his breath as a blur of white and black became a clear picture.

"That is the sound of your baby's heartbeat," Doctor Hansen informed the young couple, referring to the loud thumping that filled the small room.

A few more seconds passed as they listened to the heartbeat, then the doctor spoke.

"_It's a girl_._"_

Without even looking Emily knew that Damon was smiling. When she turned to her boyfriend, tears were welled up in his eyes.

"It's a _girl_," he whispered in a low voice, "_Our_ baby _girl_."

Emily smiled, sitting up.

The doctor helped them schedule their next appointment and, before they knew it, they were heading out the door into the bright, sunny Colorado afternoon.

"Your mom's next?" Damon asked, still grinning from ear to ear.

She nodded, leaning into his shoulder. Smiling, she spoke up.

"You know she is _so _going to have you wrapped around her finger. She is _so _going to be daddy's little girl."

* * *

><p><strong>You guys are amazing, after I put up the last chapter, you gave me eight reviews, for one chapter in one day! <em>Originally<em> another Payson, Emily, Lauren, Kaylie scene and a Chloe/Emily scene was at the end of this chapter, but I'm not quite done with it, so it's going to be it's own chapter, which should be posted in the next 24-48 hours. I'm going to try to keep my rambling short, because I have a question for you all at the end of this author's note and I really need your opinion. First, I know Chelsea Hobbs had a boy, but it seemed more fitting to me that Em and Damon would have a girl, because I was thinking that their daughter would definitely be 'daddy's little girl.' Second, this story I said would be 20 chapters, but I changed my mind, and it's going to be 22 chapters (with a four part epilogue included). **

**Lastly (this is the question!), you know that NGO guy, Marcus, who was talking with Em and Chloe in 2x16 about getting rid of the baby and how he was "close with Emily and her mother"? Well, a reviewer told me that they thought that Marcus could _possibly _be Emily's biological dad. Well, what do you think? Do you think he could be her dad? If you do, I _could _write it into the story. **

**Oh, and who do you want to be the baby's godparents? I was thinking Payson would be the godmother-but for the godfather: Razor, Bryan?**

**Please review! 5-10 reviews for a new chapter? :) Pretty please!  
><strong>


	10. Mothers Be Good To Your Daughters, Too

**Chapter 10: **Mothers Be Good To Your Daughters, Too

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. I would be nice if I did, though. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Emily stood in front of her home. Well, it wasn't really <em>her <em>home anymore, per say, the home she had now was with Damon.

She reached her hand out to knock on the door but before she even had a chance to knock the door flung open.

"Uh, hi—" Emily started, but her mother and her brother cut her off.

"_Tell us!_" they said in unison.

"It's a _girl_," Emily told them.

"I knew it!" Bryan shouted, "Razor _so _owes me _twenty bucks_!"

Emily looked at him.

"Since when so you and Razor make bets?" Emily asked, "Or even talk?"

"Since he and I were talking when mom and I had to go pick you up a pizza, because you were craving a pizza and mom said when a pregnant woman wants food, you get it for her _a.s.a.p_., and Damon was at the recording studio at the Cruz's recording and he didn't pick up his cell phone and your friends were still at the gym. So, as we waited, Razor was on his break and we talked," her brother retorted, "And he bet that it was going to be a boy."

Chloe Kmetko smiled at her children.

"Speaking of Damon, where is he?" Bryan questioned.

"He had to pick up his paycheck from the pizza shack," Emily informed them, "Can I come in? My back and feet are starting to hurt a bit?"

"Oh, yes! Come in, sweetheart," Chloe answered, "Bryan could you…could you go do the laundry in the other room for me, please? I need to talk to Emily."

Bryan nodded and wheeled himself towards his bedroom.

"Sit down, honey," Chloe told Emily, as she moved pillows around on the couch to make her pregnant daughter more comfortable, "So, how are you doing honey? Anything you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm okay. As I get bigger, my back and feet start to hurt a bit more, but I guess that's normal."

Chloe nodded.

"What's worrying you, honey?" she asked when she saw Emily's facial expression change.

"I'm scared," Emily began, "This makes it all that more real. I'm going to be a _mother_ and all of five months ago, I was just a teenage _girl_ who had a _dream_, who had a _goal_, and who was in _love_. I have four more months left. After that, I'll be the teen mom that everyone judges. For more reasons than one."

"Honey," Chloe started, "I know it's hard. I've been through it. I can't tell you, though, anything more than I already have. Just know that you have an amazing support system behind you: me, Bryan, Damon, and your friends."

"I'm sorry I didn't invite you to this appointment, mom," Emily apologized.

"There's no reason to be sorry, honey," Chloe responded.

"It's just that," Emily began, fidgeting with her hands, "I felt like that…I'm growing up and that I needed to start working things out without a parent, if I'm going to be one."

"I understand, sweetheart. Just know that parents—especially excepting parents—need their parents sometime, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Chloe reasoned.

"You should have seen Damon's face when he found out it was a girl," Emily smiled to herself, "He had a grin so big. Honestly, he didn't stop smiling for, like, twenty minutes."

"Daddy's little girl," Chloe commented, "She'll have Damon wrapped around her little finger."

"That's what I said," Emily replied, laughing, "Thanks, mom, for everything. I love you."

"I love you too, honey," Chloe responded, embracing her seventeen year old daughter.

xxx

"Drink up!" Payson exclaimed, putting down the tray of _Spruce Juice _smoothies down on the table.

Kaylie and Emily reached for their drinks.

"Ugh! Where's Lo?" Kaylie complained. Lauren had yet to arrive and Emily refused to tell the news until all three of her friends where there.

"Chill," Payson commanded.

"Like you're not excited to know, Pay," Kaylie retaliated.

"I'm not sure that '_excited'_ is the right for it," Payson commented.

"So, how's Damon's record coming?" Kaylie asked, trying to distract herself.

"Better," Emily commented, "He's getting better reception from the producers now than he was a few months ago."

Kaylie nodded then exclaimed, "_Please, _just tell us. We'll act surprised when Lauren gets here…"

Emily shook her head.

"We have to wait for Lauren."

Within minutes, Lauren was sighted, running through the _Spruce Juice _courtyard, smoothie in hand, purse in the other.

"Oh My God, guys, you'll never believe this!" she shouted, "Summer and Sasha are getting _married_, in less than three weeks! And _I'm _going to be the _maid of honor_!"

"I thought you hated the idea of anyone being with her, other than your dad, because you thought that you were going to lose her," Kaylie stated.

"And I kind of thought she was _really _mad at you right now," Payson muttered.

"She _was. _But I told Sasha what I did with that tape and he forgave me, apparently talk to Summer, and she forgave me. Well, she was still mad, but she said she _does _love me like her own daughter and would love if I'd be her maid of honor. And, especially after everything that's happened these past two years, I guess I just want Summer to be happy. Plus, I _love _weddings!" Lauren gushed, then turned to Emily, "And _babies_."

Payson muttered something about how this wasn't exactly the best frame of mind to set themselves in since Emily was _seventeen _and _pregnant _and not older. Emily thoughts related to what Payson was muttering, but Lauren ignored the words and facial expressions of both the girls.

"_Well?"_

Emily smiled then uttered what all three girls wanted to know.

"_It's a girl_._"_

Kaylie and Payson hugged their friend.

Lauren sprung up from her chair, "_YES!_ I _knew _it!"

"You think she'd won the lottery or something," Kaylie whispered to Payson.

Lauren turned back to Emily.

"Okay, so, I was thinking, again, for names and also for, like, baby colors for clothes and stuff…"

Payson nodded at Kaylie's comment before whispering back.

"A maid of honor and now she thinks she's going to be the godmother..."

* * *

><p><strong>Which she won't. Lauren will not be the godmother, Payson will. Kaylie won't because of what happened with her and Damon, even tho that's "forgotten and forgiven", to me it didn't seem fit. Razor will probably be the godfather...unless you all have any other ideas?<br>**

**So, yeah, this was originally part of the last chapter [that I posted yesterday, where Damon & Em were at the doctors], but I decided to post it separately because I felt that the last chapter needed to end with Damon and Emily and their "it's a girl" phase. And I didn't want this short and slightly not-as-well-written-as-other-chapters, chapter to ruin it. Yes, Sasha and Summer are getting married. I know it seems sudden and weird, but, hey, we don't know what went on the last three or so months, becuase we're following Damon and Emily, haha. That'll be next (I think, I have to go check my outline) and that'll be the last fluffy chapter for a bit. More drama ahead. **

**Second, I just realized (when I re-watched _At the Edge of the Worlds_ episodes) that Damon's step dad and mom live in Boulder [or somewhere near there], let's just say they moved to the east coast. As for Damon's dad, I did get that right with the whole "picking locks" and "con" thing. If you really want, I will put something in there, like maybe after the baby is born add a chapter about Damon's mom coming to the hospital with his stepdad and the stepdad finds out that Damon is a musician, etc.  
><strong>

**Lastly (I know I asked this question before, but I do need more opinions), you know that NGO guy, Marcus, who was talking with Em and Chloe in 2x16 about getting rid of the baby and how he was "close with Emily and her mother"? Well, a reviewer told me that they thought that Marcus could _possibly _be Emily's biological dad. Well, what do you think? Do you think he could be her dad? Even if you're not sure, should I write it as such? If you do think so, I _could _write it into the story. **

****Please review! 5-10 reviews for a new chapter? :) 10 gets a faster update! Pretty please!****


	11. Wedding Bells Will Ring

**Chapter 11: **Wedding Bells Will Ring

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. But I'm super happy they _finally _renewed it for a third season! I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Weeks passed in a flurry. From wedding planning for Summer and Sasha to baby name talk between Emily and Damon (and, well, Lauren) to dress fittings for all four <em>Rock <em>girls, the days seemed jammed packed. Damon was a little worried, on Emily's part. Just watching it from his point of view seemed quite stressful. He couldn't imagine how his girlfriend must be feeling. He was worried it could impact her health as well as the baby's.

"Morning!" Emily said, cheerfully, as she skipped out of the bathroom (well, not 'skip' per-say, more like a mixture of walking and waddling).

Damon rolled over from his sleeping position and propped himself up on his shoulders, on the bed, as Emily walked over.

"Good morning," he mumbled, trying to wake up.

She stood there silently, waiting for Damon's morning grogginess to wear off, so he could see the cute, new baby-doll dress Lauren and Kaylie had picked out for her. Emily knew when his grogginess wore off, too, by the way Damon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Wow," he whispered, in a low tone.

The cotton baby-doll dress fell perfectly over her body, showing off her long, slender legs and perfectly accented her bump.

"Thanks," she blushed. As she did, she looked at the time on the microwave oven clock.

_9:45 A.M., _it read.

"I got to get going," Emily stated.

"_No_," Damon chuckled, pulling her towards him.

"The appointment is at ten, I really do have to go."

The dark-haired boy pulled her towards him, bringing her lips to his.

"Mm, okay," Emily stated, letting herself bask in the glow of the moment, "I really do have to go."

"What are you guys up to today?" Damon asked.

"We're getting our final fitting for the bridesmaids dresses," Emily explained, sitting down next to him, on the bed, "Kaylie, Lauren, and Payson will be fine, but I'll have to hear the fitting manager sigh again and judge me while they try to refit the gown. Thank God, it's an empire waistline, thought. I don't know if Summer just liked that style or she was thinking of me—either way, I'm super thankful."

Damon smiled.

"When do I get to see you in _that_ dress?" Damon chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows.

Emily rolled her eyes, smiling and leaned over to kiss him once more. Then, she stood up and grabbed her purse.

"In a week. So, next Saturday," she smiled, walking out of the apartment, leaving her boyfriend behind in the dark.

xxx

"_You _are _late_!" Lauren exclaimed as Emily walked into the small wedding boutique, downtown Boulder, Colorado.

_By three minutes!_, Emily thought to herself.

"You'd think she wouldn't point that out since she wants to be the godmother so much," Payson snorted.

"Yeah," Kaylie whispered back, "_But_ it is _Lo._"

"Explanation?" Lauren demanded.

Emily blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh," Lauren stated, her face draining of color, "Um..."  
>Emily's eyes widened, that had not been what she meant.<p>

"At least we know you can't get knocked up, now," Lauren mumbled.

Kaylie let out a small laugh.

"She should be one to talk, after all her rendezvousing with Carter all the time, last year."

Payson looked at the national champion.

"I thought you were over that."

Kaylie folded her arms.

"I am," she replied, defensively.

"We _didn't_," Emily searched for the right words, _"_We_ didn't_. I was up late last night talking with my mom on the phone and then I got up late and still had to get dressed and drive over here."

"Girls!" Summer called, in excitement, "They are ready!"

All four top _Rock _girls sauntered over to where Summer was standing with a bridal consultant.

"My name is Anna," the young, dark-haired woman told the group, "I'm taking over for Michelle today. She has the day off. I usually divide my time working up here as well as working downstairs as a fitter."

"And we are here for our final fittings," Summer smiled, "And the girls for their bridesmaids dresses—"

"_Maid _of _honor_," Lauren interjected.

"—and me for my wedding dress," Summer finished.

"Great," Anna grinned.

They followed the consultant down the stairs and into the fitting department where they were each put in a separate dressing room.

Without any problems, three of the four bridesmaids slipped on the light green, empire-waistline dresses and pranced out of the dressing room, beaming. Emily, on the other hand, was tugging on her zipper. Even with the empire-waistline, the dress wouldn't go up. She finally gave up and held the dress together as much as she could, and opened the curtain.

"It's a little snug, it went over my bump, but the top won't close," she told a different seamstress, a bleached-blonde, middle-aged woman.

"Of _course_ it is," the lady, whose tag read 'Patricia', muttered.

Emily shrunk back in embarrassment as the woman tried to measure around the almost five and half—almost six month baby bump. Within seconds, the lady left, going over to what seemed like one of her friends. Conveniently (or not so conveniently, whatever way you want to see it), Emily's dressing room was next to the room where the woman was standing.

"A _pregnant _teenager," the woman scoffed in disgust.

Emily's persona, on the other hand, went from excited to on the verge of tears in a matter of seconds.

"—her dress never fits _correctly_, every time she comes in. It's even an _empire-waistline_, so it fits over her bump, but it is _never _perfect enough for her. If she wants the perfect dress fit, she shouldn't have gotten herself knocked up—the little _slut_."

Emily pushed back the curtain of the dressing room. When she did, she came face-to-face with her friends, who were quite shocked themselves at what they heard the seamstress say. Lauren, Payson, and Kaylie, all knew that they should have said something to the rude woman and stick up for their friend, but it looked to them that Emily was going to do that herself.

It was also in that moment, that Summer emerged from her enclosed dressing room.

She looked at Kaylie, Lauren, and Payson, and then at Emily.

"What's wrong?" the thirty-three year old blonde questioned.

She hadn't heard what the woman had said, since she hadn't been in the vicinity.

Emily stormed over to the two gossiping seamstresses.

"_What _did _you _just _say _about _me?_" she exclaimed.

Neither seamstress said anything. They had been equipped to deal with bridezillas and demanding mothers, but they were _not _ready for a seventeen year old, almost six-months pregnant elite gymnast's wrath, especially when they were the ones who provoked the reaction.

"First of all, I'm usually one of the nicest people you could ever meet! Second, I'm a freaking elite National—no, _world team_ gymnast! I'm the fourth highest ranked gymnast at the _Rock_! Yes, I did fall on my face and hit a bump in the road, but I accepted my actions. My boyfriend is the father—before you make any more accusations about how many guys I slept with—I've _only_ been with him!" Emily snapped at the two seamstresses, "_Don't judge me._ _Anyone_ can fall into this situation if they aren't careful—not just the stereotypical slut, that you labeled me as."

"Excuse me, miss?" another consultant tapped on Emily's shoulder, "What's going on here?"

"_This _seamstress over here called our friend a slut," Kaylie told the floor manager.

"I see," the manager replied, "_Patricia_, set your clipboard and measuring tape down in the fitting office and meet me in my office. _Now!_"

The bleach-blonde rolled her eyes and stormed out.

Emily watched her walk away. She had been pretty lucky not to have been judged verbally much over the last few months. Yeah, she had gotten the ugly stares, but something verbal is always so much worse. She knew she was a better person (and that the people around her thought she was a better person) than that woman had made her out to be.

In other words, it didn't matter what that woman or any other person said about her. The only people's opinions that mattered were the people who loved her-which included the people who were embracing her right now.

xxx

The day of the wedding arrived quickly. It didn't take much, though, between practice for three of the girls, wedding details for Summer and Sasha (more Summer, then Sasha), doctor's appointments, _Pizza Shack _shifts, and music recordings for Emily and Damon—time just flew by.

Now, here they were walking down the aisle one-by-one. Kaylie and Payson were already down the aisle. Emily was just starting her walk.

She could feel those stares, again—the ones that judged her because of the huge baby bump sticking out her torso. But that didn't matter. She wasn't going to let them judge her. And this wasn't her day; it was Summer and Sasha's.

She met Damon's beaming gaze from the crowd as she neared the alter.

"_I love you__ and __our __baby and I want to be here every step of the way."_

Someday, they would be here. They would have this moment.

Minutes flew by, and before they knew it, Summer and Sasha kissed and Kelly stood up from the audience, in her magenta dress, and let out a whoop with the rest of the crowd.

Emily and her friends hugged Summer, smiling and laughing, before the newlyweds made their way down the aisle to the reception and to their first dance.

_I've…had…the time of my life. __No, I never felt this way before. Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you. 'Cause I've had the time of my life…_

"I'd like to dedicate this song to my lovely bride, Summer," Sasha announced. He was beaming from ear to ear. Most of the people there, who didn't know him as well as his bride or some of the girls did, he almost seemed out of character. But, really, he was just _so _happy.

Summer reached for his hand and also took the microphone.

"We'd also like to invite any other couples that are as in love as were are to join us on the dance floor. We would love to share this moment with you."

Austin and Kaylie practically jumped out of their seats, darting to the floor behind the newly-married couple. Max and Payson slowly rose up and steadily made their way there. Damon stood up, looking at his Emily, who was sitting, whispering something to Kelly and Lauren, with her hand placed lovingly over her baby bump—_their _daughter.

"Miss Emily Kmetko?" Damon began, "May I have this dance?"

Emily nodded, smiling and, with the help of Damon, stood up.

'_Cause I've had the time of my life. No, I've never felt this way before..._

_"_I love you," he whispered in her ear.

She nestled her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, too."_  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>THEY RENEWED MAKE IT OR BREAK IT FOR A THIRD SEASON! YAY! :)<br>**

**Now, I don't know if Johnny or Chelsea is coming back. Chelsea doesn't know yet. So, if you want to help get Em/Damon back on MIOBI (pregnancy storyline OR _not_), tweet MIOBI creator, Holly Sorensen (HollyBSorensen), saying you want both of them back on the show for this season! I don't have twitter, otherwise I would. So, _please_**_, _**if you have twitter or you know someone whose a MIOBI fan who does, please have them tweet Holly about putting Johhny (Damon) and Chelsea (Emily) back on the show. **

**Second, sorry for the wait for the update. This was...basically a happy-go-lucky (minus that rude sales lady's comment) filler chapter before ****quite a bit of drama and I wasn't really happy with what I was writing for this chapter-I'm still not sure it's all that great. The next chapter, however, will be _much _better. It takes me a bit to type this up-usually an hour or two-but I'm always writing stuff for these chapters in my notebook when I have free time. **

**Anyways, PLEASE review! 5-10 reviews for a new chapter/faster update**


	12. Rock Bottom

**Chapter 12: **Rock Bottom

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it. _I do, however, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Emily stared up at the stairs as she and Damon sat in his car. The chairs were pushed back, so it was almost like they were lying down.<p>

Emily thought back to the last time they were here. It had been seven months ago, two nights before their daughter had been conceived. They sat there that night as two pretty innocent teenagers, with big dreams just in their reach—she, the national _and _world team gymnast, and he, the budding rockstar—making promises to be together forever. Now, here they were, all those months later. Truly, nothing much had changed, in a certain way. She was still the world gymnast, and he, the musician. There was only one _major _difference. A visible, physical, and slightly mental one. The seven month baby bump, that stuck out of her torso, was that difference. Mentally, her brain had kicked into "mommy-mode" sometimes. She was still very much Emily, but with some different thoughts and a new perspective on life. Damon, though obviously not going through the physical part, had kicked into "daddy-mode" long before Emily's parental instincts had started kick in. He was _so _protective of Emily and the baby and cared for them deeply. That was a good thing.

Her pregnancy had not affected her dreams in life—far from it. It had actually sped some of them up. As for her mail goal—her gymnastics dream—it had not detrimented that either—it just had affected how long and hard the road would be to get to her dream.

Emily sighed and tried to position herself the best she could, so that she could lay her head on Damon's chest as they stared up at the stars, music softly paling from the car radio.

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful stop me and steal my breath. And emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky, never revealing their depth…_

She could hear Damon singing along, softly.

_Tell me that we belong together. Dress it up with the trappings of love…_

This was the perfect moment.

"_Oomph!_" Emily shot up quickly. Well, as fast as a seven month pregnant girl could. As soon as she did, Damon sat up in a panic.

"Emily? _Em?_" he questioned, brushing a strand of her dark-hair from her face, "_Emily? Honey?_ Are you alright? Is the baby coming?"

Emily's facial expression went from surprised to questionative to smiling in a matter of seconds.

"No," she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend as she tenderly placed her hand on her stomach, "The—she—the baby—_she kicked_."

Emily squeezed her eyes shut as she felt another kicked. She quickly grabbed Damon's hand and placed it on top of her baby bump.

Damon's eyes widened as he felt their daughter—_their baby girl_—kicking. He sang along, again, with the radio. The kicks came more.

Emily laughed.

"I think she likes your voice. You're going ot have to sing to her every night, after she is born."

Damon smiled at the idea.

"At least you know that if all else fails, with you album, you will have two dedicated fans and people who will buy your album," Emily joked.

Damon chuckled. His eyes, even in the dark, were beaming.

The moment was amazing. And in that moment, both of them wished they could just stay that way, holding hands, forever.

xxx

Emily stretched her back as much as she should, as she stood on the gym floor in a loose fitting t-shirt and maternity track-suit. This was one of those rare occasions, now, when she actually got to help out on the floor. Ever since her fifth month, she had been instructed to work more in the office, sitting down. Sasha was afraid that if she spent too much time on her feet or if she was around the beam or the bars, something would happen. Whether this was because of her newlywed honeymoon stage and wanting to protect everything he could or just his soft-spot , Emily didn't know. She was told she could have two hours a day on the floor, vault and floor routines, _only_. And those two hours could _not _be consecutive (she was pretty sure that Damon and her mother were a part of that idea).

As she watched Payson flip off the vault, she heard clanging and then a loud slamming of doors.

Everyone in the gym turned to the scene.

"_Hello, Rock_," the nasty voice said.

_Ellen Beals. _

And behind her came the rest of the NGO board.

The office door creaked open and out walked Summer and Kim Keeler, out onto the stairs. The blonde newlywed reached out towards her husband's arm.

Ellen Beals might be the worst and most annoying awful person in gymnastics and no one may like her, but there was _one _thing she could do: quiet a room with her presence.

Sasha ran a hand through his hair as Payson, Lauren, and Kaylie walked up to Emily.

"What do you _want, _Beals?" the _Rock _coach snapped.

Ellen Beals walked forward.

"I'm _not _here for you this time, _actually_. But congrats on the marriage," Ellen announced, sounding anything but congratulatory, "I'm here with the board to show them what I have already decided—that _Emily Kmetko_ is one hundred and ten perfect _unfit _to return to gymnastics _and _the national and world teams, after she gives birth to her child."

Emily sucked in her breath. She had known this all was too good to be true. Ellen Beals had just been waiting for the right time to strike; a time when she knew that Emily as well as other members of the gym would be at their most vulnerable; when this news would crush her spirits _more than ever_.

Sasha walked up to the woman.

"You have _no right _to come in here and tell me that one of my girls _cannot _return to gymnastics –that she is unfit to return to the sport because she is pregnant _now_. That does not give any indication of how well she would do after giving birth."

Ellen rolled her eyes.

"If she made mistakes _before_," the older woman began, in a sharp tone, "She _wil_l make them afterwards."

Kelly Parker stood still as Ellen Beals passed her, making her way to the front of the room. Kelly had never been afraid of her before—nor had she ever had to. But she was a _Rock _girl now. She was Ellen Beals' public-enemy number one.

"_Now_, look at her over _there_," Ellen Beals began, clasping her hands together, pointing them towards Emily, "_There _is the face of a person who _wanted _to so much not to be that underdog anymore. Who didn't want to be like _her mother_—who did _not _want to be a _statistic_."

"_I was reading the literature and it says that if your mother was a pregnant teenager that there is a chance that…"_

"_I'm not a statistic!"_

Summer stepped forward, but Sasha held his hand out for her to be silent. He didn''t want her to put herself into a mess involving Ellen Beals again.

So, Kim Keeler spoke up.

"She's not a random stat in a textbook. She's a person. A person who deserved a second chance as much as anyone and our gym offers just that."

Ellen fished around in her purse, pulling out a picture. Then she folded the picture in half, not quite ready to show the room yet.

"Emily Kmetko had her second chance when she was arrested for stealing medication from a pharmacy."

"That was _for her brother_!" Austin shouted, "He could have died without it! All of us here know that! And she left as much money as she could that night. Our motto here is _family comes first_—and that is what the _Rock _is—a _family_, and we stand behind her. We are not like the other freaky machine like gymnasts who do everything someone says. We are _real _people. And _furthermore_, she was _cleared _of all those charges. They are not even a part of her record, anymo—"

Kaylie touched her boyfriend's arm, softly, signaling for him to stop talking. They all knew he had the White Knight syndrome (and that he was well-intended). And as much as what he said was kind and true, it was not going to help right now.

Ellen Beals snorted at Austin's comment as she stared up at the wall, where a sign read, _'Rock Hard or Go Home_._'_

"_Regardless_, that _was _her second chance," Ellen remarked, walking back and forth, "And, in a way, it was also her lovely little boyfriends too."

The woman unfolded a computer printed photo of Damon at one of his concerts in France.

"I don't think anyone's going to want to buy your sweetheart's album when they find out that all her really is, is a teenage boy from Boulder, Colorado, who works at the _Pizza Shack _part-time and knocked up his girlfriend."

If Lauren and Payson could have slapped Ellen Beals at that moment, without getting into trouble for it, they would have. Emily didn't deserve this.

Ellen folded the paper back up, tossing to the side.

"There are _three girls _in United Stated gymnastics history that have _ever _gotten pregnant. Emily makes that _four_," Ellen Beals pursed her lips, giving everyone in the room, with the exception of the NGO board, a cold, harsh glare, "That is _four too many. _If our gymnasts start thinking that they can have a boyfriend and mess around with that boyfriend, they _will _lose focus. And if they end up getting pregnant, they will think, '_Hey, it's okay. I will be able to come back to the sport.'_ If we allow this, that _four _will turn in _forty_ and we will have fewer gymnasts for our national and world teams. We will not be able to compete."

Sasha stormed down the stairs.

"_Out, Beals! Get the hell out of my gym!_" he screamed, infuriated, "You can come in here and mock me all you want, but _I will not_ have you come in here and berate one of my gymnasts!"

Ellen Beals chuckled to herself.

"Who cares?" she muttered, "I already made it official before I came here, that _Emily Kmetko_ is _done _in the gymnastics world—_for good_."

If Emily knew now that, Ellen Beals had planned this specifically for this time, then why would she still let it get to her?

Because she is Emily Kmetko and for how strong she had been over the last several months, she eventually had to reach her breaking point—and this was it.

Tears started welling up in Emily's eyes.

It was over. Everything she had _ever _worked for disappeared before her eyes.

Before Ellen Beals was even able to turn to leave, Emily darted out of the gym as fast as she could. And give that she was seven months pregnant, they were _all _surprised at how fast she left.

When she hit the doorway outside, she almost ran smack-dab into Damon.

"_Em_—"

She tried to push him to the side. There was no point. He was stronger that she was. So, she just let the tears run down her cheeks.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Damon demanded to know, "_What happened_?"

She didn't answer. She didn't want to tell him.

"_Emily_!" she heard female voices yelling.

Her friends darted out of the gym to see her clinging onto Damon.

He looked up at Kaylie, Lauren, Payson, and Kelly, searching for answers. They told him everything. As they speaking, he handed Emily the car keys and she went to go sit in the car.

All the traces of happiness and hope for the future that they had been talking about that night—nearly a week ago—seemed gone.

What was going to happen, now?

No one seemed certain.

* * *

><p><strong>And the drama begins…<strong>

**So I loved writing this chapter for some reason. I felt terrible for Emily and everything, obviously. But Ellen Beals, as much as I hate her, was kind of interesting to write. Plus, I **_**loved **_**writing that Emily/Damon scene in the beginning. **

**They have started writing Season 3…so tweet Holly Sorensen and ask her/beg her to have Johnny (Damon) and Chelsea (Emily) back! (You can tweet her at HollyBSorensen). If you do, tell me in the reviews!  
><strong>

**So, **_**please **_**review! They keep me motivated and have me writing awesome, long-ish chapters like this. :) **

**Song: "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain  
><strong>


	13. Not Alone

**Chapter 13: **Not Alone

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it _or the song "Not Alone" by Darren Criss. I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Damon Young was worried—<em>extremely <em>worried. He was sitting at the kitchen in their small apartment, staring at the woman he loved. He did not know what to do anymore. Ever since that day, nearly two weeks ago, when Ellen Beals had up at the _Rock _and stripped Emily of any chance of a future career in gymnastics, Emily sat in sweatpants, lying in bed or on the couch, cradling her baby bump, in a haze, depressed. She would not talk to any of her friends, her mom, and even though she did talk to him, she was no longer the chatterbox she had been over the last few months.

Damon understood why she was upset. She had lost everything she had ever worked for. Not to mention, there had been so many times where _all _of the head _Rock _girls should have been thrown out of the sport and were not. The one other time Emily had been thrown out of the _Rock _and nearly thrown out of the sport all together, she had not backed down or given up. She got right back up and persevered until she got her spot back—she _proved _she belonged there. But now…_now_, the situation had sent her spiraling downward, into a funk. She did not do much of anything now that did not have to do with the baby. And even then, she still didn't do all that much. By now, most people would have given up or grown _completely _hopeless, but he was not that kind of person. He was not going to let Emily sit there and internally and emotionally beat herself up.

Damon looked down at his stack of posters that Razor had made for him, promoting his concert at the local coffee and music shop, where, two days from now, many up and coming musicians performed.

Then, his eyes diverted to the notebook, lying on the marble counter to his left. A million ideas flitted through his head. He rose from his seat and quickly grabbed the notebook, then plopped back down in the chair, and began writing.

This was going to be perfect.

xxx

"Hurry up, it's cold," Emily muttered, rubbing her hands together, waiting for Damon to open the door.

Damon sighed, trying not to annoy her. Though she talked to him, it was rare.

"We're _inside_, Emily. And I'm getting it, it takes a second."

Damon slid the key into the door of their apartment and opened it, stepping back to let Emily through first.

The seventeen year old girl took his hand, and then put her other hand over her baby bump. They had been to one of their last doctor's appointments. The doctor informed them that everything seemed right on schedule and that Emily would, most likely, five birth on or close to her due date, which was a couple of weeks away. After the appointment, when Emily had left the room, Damon addressed Emily's depressed state and also how he was trying to do whatever he could to snap her out of it—and his plan. The doctor had told him that, at the moment, Emily's depression was not medically hazardous to her or the baby, but that Damon should definitely do all he could to cheer her up and that his plan was not a bad idea. And if it got worse, that he should contact her.

As Damon through the keys on the counter, he saw Emily sit down and wrap the soft, blue blanket that had once been lying on the back of the couch, around her.

He slipped the lined notebook into his bag and sat both that and his guitar case by the door. He changed clothes, quickly, and came back out holding a blue floral maternity dress that Emily's mother had given her not long ago. He threw the dress on couch next to her.

"Get dressed."

She stared at him, confused.

"We have to get going if we are going to make it to my concert on time," he told her, digging through the closet to find a pair of wearable shoes for her. "And your mom and Bryan are waiting for us at the concert venue, so they can be there with you, while I'm on stage. Razor will be too."

Emily sighed, shifting in her position. "Look, Damon, I already told y—"

"You're_ going_. Doctor Hansen told me to take you with me. You'll enjoy it," he persuaded her, kneeling down on the floor and putting his hand on her stomach. "And I'm sure this little girl will, too."

Damon stood back up, extending his hand downwards towards her, to help her up off the couch. She sat there for a second, before reluctantly taking his hand.

Xxx

It took a nearly an hour, but Damon was finally helping Emily into her seat at the table with her mom, Bryan, and Razor.

"Hey honey," Chloe Kmetko said, reaching over towards her daughter. "How are you?"

Emily stiffened, sighing.

"_Fine_."

It was not much, but to Chloe it was everything, since her daughter had not spoken to her in weeks. All three at the table tried to make some type of conversation with her but the most response they got was a two-word grumble and a sigh.

The concert started and Damon played all the songs he had sung on his tour with Green Day and a couple of new tunes that he had written a few months prior. Most singers would have worked the crowd, but his eyes stayed on the love of his life, who still did not seem to be snapping out of her depressed state.

It was time.

He could not change what had happened. He could not change that he had gotten her pregnant at seventeen. He could not change that she had been kicked out of the sport she had worked her entire life to build a career out of. But he could do everything and anything to make sure that she lived a happy life.

He passed his guitar off stage to Razor, who handed him the music. He took the papers and sat them on the ledge of the piano and sat down on the piano bench, scooting forward towards the microphone.

"This is a song for someone who is very special to me, who is going through a really rough time right now," Damon began, flipping the pages of the song so that they were in order. "This song is for my girlfriend_. Emily_, I want you know that _I love you_, and so do your friends and your family, and I am going to do anything and everything to give you and our daughter the best life possible."

His hands rested down on the piano and within seconds they flew across the piano and began singing _the _song—the song he wrote for _her. _

_I've been alone  
>Surrounded by darkness<br>And I've seen how heartless the world can be_

_And I've seen you crying_  
><em>You felt like it's hopeless<em>  
><em>I'll always do my best<em>  
><em>to make you see<em>

He could not see her face, he could not see anything in the position he was sitting, but he hoped she was listening.

_That Baby you're not alone  
>'Cause you're here with me<br>and nothing's ever gonna bring us down  
>'Cause nothing can keep me from loving you<br>And you know it's true  
>It won't matter what it'll come to be,<br>our love is all we need  
>to make it through<em>

She had been listening that one night back at the radio station, nearly a year and a half ago. She had run after him. It was even more important that she was listening now.

_But I don't need them  
>All I need is to look in your eyes<br>And I realize_

_That baby I'm not alone_  
><em>'Cause you're here with me<em>  
><em>and nothing's ever gonna bring us down<em>  
><em>'Cause nothing can keep me from loving you<em>  
><em>And you know it's true<em>  
><em>It won't matter what it'll come to be,<em>  
><em>our love is all we need<em>

_to make it through_

Damon hit the last note, then slid back, standing up, just in time to see Emily push herself out of her seat and waddle as fast as she could out of the restaurant.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I hope you had a great night and have a safe ride home," he sputtered out, before running off the stage and darting after Emily.

He found her in the parking lot, standing next to the car, Razor standing a few feet away. Damon gave him a confused expression, but before Razor could answer him, Emily turned to him, muttering, "_I want to go home. Take me_ _home_."

So he did.

He asked Razor to take care of his stuff and he got Emily in the car and drove home. He unlocked the door and let her in. What else was he supposed to do? She would _not _say anything. She would _not _tell him how she felt or how he could help her. He had written that song to tell her that even though everything seemed really crappy right now that it would get better, that no one in her life was leaving her.

Damon slammed the door shut.

"_What can I do?_!" he practically shouted.

Emily looked at him. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"_Emily_, you are beating yourself inside every day. You will not talk to anyone. We know why_, but it cannot go on_. You have to talk to someone about what you are feeling—you have to let your emotions out. You have to let your friends and family be there for you. Even if you are mad at us, you cannot push us away!"

She whipped around, hands resting on her bump. _"I'm not mad at any of you."_

"Then why won't you _talk _to _any of us?_" Damon retorted, running a hand through his hair.

Emily sat down on the edge of the bed, picking up a magazine. "I just can't deal with this, right now."

"_Emily!_"

She had been strong and she had her breaking point. She was depressed and quiet, so she was bound, at some point, to snap.

This was it.

"_I'm mad at myself!_" she shouted, throwing the magazine back down on the comforter. "I _screwed up_. I got _pregnant at seventeen_, I _broke my contract _with the NGO, and I was _stupid _enough to believe that I could have it all back. And it sent me spiraling into this _funk,_ because it was something that I had worked so hard for and kept working for, even during my pregnancy."

"You could have had it back. It was just Ell—"

"No. I was _delusional _enough to believe that I could have it all back someday. I was _delusional _to think that the NGO would let me, as a teenage mother, still be a national and world gymnast—to compete in the 2012 Olympics."

Tears rolled down Emily's cheeks as Damon sat down next to her.

"But _why _are you pushing the people closest to you out of your life?" he questioned.

"Because," Emily began, within her tears, "I didn't want to lose anything else. If someone was taking my gymnastics away from me, who's to say they would not try to take my friends? Or _you_?"

Damon reached for his hand and laced his fingers through hers. "_Emily, _no one is taking me from you. _Ever._ I will always be here for you. And your mom, Bryan, Kaylie, Lauren, Razor, Kelly, and Payson_, they're all going to be here for you too. _And they are doing everything they can to make sure that you live a wonderful and happy life—no matter where it ends up taking you. But we can only help you, if you let us in."

Emily sat there for a moment, taking in everything he said. She wasn't quite sure what to reply at the moment, so she nodded, before mumbling out, "I loved that song. So did _she_."

Damon smiled, taking Emily's face in his hands, and kissed her. "I'm glad."

She wasn't back to flipping around on bars and cartwheeling on balance beams, but she, in that moment, was right where she needed to be and she was doing what she needed to be doing. Life wasn't ever going to be easy for her, but the sooner she learned to let people in the it would all be.

* * *

><p><strong>So after a nearly three month hiatus on this story, I figured you all deserved an update. I wasn't sure how to go about this chapter. I mean I <strong>_**knew **_**what I wanted, but I couldn't figure out how to detail it or what to exactly say, or how to end it. So I just put myself down in front of the computer and began writing. It wrote really late last night, so I wasn't completely coherent and my ideas didn't flow all that well. It's also not much and it's probably not one of the best chapters I have written for this story and looks pale in comparison to the last chapter , but it definitely gives me a start to the awesome next chapter (no, the baby is not coming yet, you'll have to wait just a bit longer for that). And also gives you an update. **

**The song is **_**not **_**an original song by me or by Johnny Pacar, it's a song by the fabulous Darren Criss, entitled, **_**Not Alone.**_** It's not the whole song, just snippets of it. It's used though as if Damon wrote it for Emily, because it works for the situation  
><strong>

**Lastly, you may know by now that, at this moment, Chelsea Hobbs is not returning for the final eight episodes of MIOBI. And as far as I know neither is Johnny. I hope that at least someone addresses the storyline in the dialogue, maybe saying how Emily, Damon, and the baby are doing. That would be nice. It would be even nicer that if in the series finale, they actually did call the actors up and have Em, Damon, and their baby be in the crowd at the Olympics, but I doubt that, so right now I'm just hoping for one or two lines about them. **

**I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I'm hoping I'll be no later than late January, early February. The next chapter includes a bit of Em/Damon and a **_**lot **_**of Emily and the Rock girls. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**


	14. We Are Family

**Chapter 14:** We Are Family

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. If I did, we would have gotten to see the Olympics. I do, however, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Ever since the day Damon had finally gotten Emily to break down and tell him why she had been pushing everyone who loved her away, Emily and slowly and surely been slipping out her funk. She was more active, going to the recording studio with him, talking to her mom and Bryan more often, and she had become more willing to go with him on little trips to the store. They had even gone on small dates, which usually consisted of them cuddling on the couch and watching a movie at home, but that was still something and a big improvement over where she had been just a few weeks prior.<p>

But there was one thing that had not changed, Emily refused (subtly so) to go to the Rock during the day. Granted, she was eight and a half months pregnant and her mobility had become limited, but if she was willing to go the Cruz's house to watch and listen to Damon sing, which was twenty minutes across town, the fifteen minute ride to the Rock should be no problem. But Damon understood that the gym was a bit of a dream-crusher for his girlfriend. Even though he believed that her gymnastics dream wasn't necessarily over. Ellen Beals usually failed at her attempts to kick anyone out—Kaylie, Sasha, and even Emily, previously, were living proof of that. Damon believe that if Emily kept going to the gym, it would only strengthen the point. But, again, he was not going to push. Emily was less than three weeks from her due date and somewhat irritable. To push anything that she did not want to do would _not _have been smart on his part.

Damon gave the cashier in front of him at the twenty-four hour Walgreens pharmacy a twenty, then collected his change.

The car clock read _2:15 A.M. _and Damon sighed in exhaustion. At 1:30 this morning, Emily decided that a orange-dreamsicle Spruce Juice smoothie and Chocolate Fudge Brownie and White Chocolate Raspberry ice cream were crucial to her diet. So, he, being the loving and supportive boyfriend-slash-soon to be father, got up from his semi-peaceful sleep (however peaceful barely two and half hours of sleep can be, especially since Emily shook the bed, tossing and turning to find a comfortable position) got up and ran across town to the twenty-four hour Spruce Juice and Walgreens pharmacy.

Damon attempted to quietly unlock the door to their apartment, in case Emily had fallen back asleep, but upon opening the door he saw his girlfriend wide awake, looking fairly uncomfortable . He slammed the door shut behind him, quickly locking it, then held up the two bags.

"My prince charming," Emily smiled. "But I'm not hungry anymore. You can just put it in the freezer."

Of course when he had taken the time in the middle of the night to go out and search for the things that she had asked for, she wouldn't want them when he got back. He should have expected that.

With a shake of his head and a sigh, Damon wandered over to the fridge, throwing the ice cream and Spruce Juice in the freezer.

Emily switched off the light she had turned on twenty minutes prior, leaving Damon to find his way back to the bed in pitch-black darkness.

"Ow, _goddamit_," Damon muttered, tripping over what he believed was Emily's shoes. "You couldn't have left the light on..."

Emily rolled her eyes as Damon crawled into bed next to her.

A half an hour later, Damon was almost asleep when he heard Emily mutter something.

"Do you think we can do this?" she repeated, turning towards him.

Damon sighed, turning to face his girlfriend. "Do what?"

"Have a baby. Take care of it. Not screw up completely."

Damon sat up, leaning on one elbow.

"It's a little late to change the having a baby part," he remarked, smiling and pointing to her huge pregnant belly.

He felt a stinging slap against his arm in the darkness.

"I know that, idiot!" Emily remarked, repositioning herself once more. "I mean...do you think we can be good parents?"

Damon contemplated the question for a few seconds. Of course they would try their absolute best to be the best parents they could be. He didn't doubt that. But he also knew that it was going to be a tough ride. Teenage parenting was far from easy.

"Yeah, I think we will be."

He waited for a response, but he didn't get one. He glanced over to find the love of his life fast asleep. With a content sigh and the slight hope that he would get a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep, Damon rested his head down on the pillow and let sleep take him under.

xxx

He knew getting eight hours of sleep was too good to be true. At six-thirty that morning, he heard his phone buzzing from the bedside table. He looked over to see if the buzzing had awaken Emily, but the gymnast was fast asleep. With that, he quickly grabbed his phone, checking the caller ID.

_KAYLIE_, it read. It had to be important if she was calling him this early in the morning.

"Hello?" he mumbled into the speaker.

"Damon?" the female voice spoke. He heard rustling on the other end of the line. Whispers and questions.

"Where are you?" he questioned, not even sure he wanted to know that answer.

"At the gym with Payson and Lauren," Kaylie responded, quickly wiping his former thoughts. "We're kind of putting together a baby shower for Emily."

Damon's eyes widen. "Kind of? It's either a baby shower or it's not."

"Alright. It is a baby shower. But we wanted to take Emily out first. To gymnastics camp, actually. We have some news for her-good news-that we feel would be appropriate delivered in the place where we fell apart and back together all at once."

Damon did a once-over, making sure his girlfriend was still fast asleep, then slid out of bed, cell-phone still in clutch, and walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

"So what do you think?" Kaylie asked him after a long pause.

Damon responded, hesitantly. "Sure. Why not? As long as the news won't depress her..."

Damon could tell that Kaylie was smiling.

"Trust me. It will not," she said in a cheery tone. "We'll pick her up at noon."

Then the line went dead.

Damon stared at the slick marble tile of the sink, holding his breath.

A baby shower. Good news. But what was that good news exactly? As if almost on queue his phone buzzed again, this time with a text message.

FROM: _KAYLIE CRUZ_  
>SENT AT 6:42 AM MT<br>_Oh, and I'll tell you the good news if you promise not to tell Em._

Damon stared at the message on his screen. He felt like Emily might be pissed if he knew before her. He stared at the glowing screen for several minutes. Sliding his keypad open, he decided it was a risk he was willing to take.

xxx

"That was delicious," Emily murmured contently, sipping the last of her Spruce Juice that Damon had ran out and bought her in the early hours of morning.

"I'm glad," Damon replied quite cheerfully, jotting down some song lyric re-writes.

Emily shot him a strange look. To her, he was unusually chipper for the amount of sleep he lacked getting overnight. She thought he had been acting quite strange all morning. When she got dressed, he insisted she wear a really cute maternity sundress. When she refused to wear a dress because she complained about her belly being too big for the dress and that she didn't want anyone to see her swollen ankles, he complied with her, but still insisted that she wear her dark wash maternity jeans and the really cute top that Lauren and Kaylie had bought her. Her point was that Damon had never cared about what she wore or took interest in her dressing choices. That he would suddenly today, confused her.

A knock at the door brought Emily out of deep thought, as she looked at the door and back at Damon. She shot him a look that clearly was along the lines of 'you'll get there faster.'

Damon rose from his seat and went and opened the door. Upon opening, the door revealed Lauren, Kaylie, and Payson stepping inside.

"Hey, Em!" Kaylie squealed, embracing what she could of her friend.

Emily smiled. "Hey."

It had been awhile since she had seen or even spoken to her friends. She hadn't seen them since the NGO incident at the Rock awhile back and had only talked to Payson via text message a few weeks back.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Emily questioned, struggling to pull herself out of the chair in which she was sitting. Damon grabbed Emily's arm, helping her up.

"Well, we wanted to have a girl's day," Lauren began, smiling her typical Lauren smile that to everyone who knew her meant something was up. "And we won't take 'no' for an answer."

Damon waited for Emily to possibly close herself off to her friends again. But what happened was just the opposite.

Emily waddled to the closet. "Alright. Just let me get my jacket and we will go," she looked over at Damon. "You don't mind, right?"

He grinned, picking up his songbook off the kitchen table. "Nope."

As the four girls left the small apartment, Damon knew that the real Emily Kmetko was truly back.

xxx

"Where the hell are we going?" Emily questioned as Kaylie's new silver SUV, swerved down a long, winding country road.

Payson looked at her. "You don't remember this route?"

"Um, no." Emily restated, trying to reposition herself to be more comfortable.

The seventeen year old girl was extremely uncomfortable. She had been in pain the last few hours (but had not told Damon, knowing he would completely freak out) and it wasn't seeming to dissipate. Emily was squished in between Lauren and Payson in the middle seat of the SUV, since there was stuff sitting on the passenger side in the front. At eight and a half months pregnant, that was uncomfortable in itself. The added pain she was experiencing did not help.

"Are we almost there, Kay?" Lauren groaned. "I'm dying back here. It's like so uncomfortable."

Emily snorted. "I'm the extremely huge and pregnant one, and you are uncomfortable?"

Lauren rolled her eyes, turning towards the window. "Well, you don-"

"Chill you two," Kaylie remarked, as the car came to a halt and was slid into park, the engine quickly turned off. "We're here."

Emily took in the surroundings as Payson helped her out of the car. This was all vaguely familiar to her. And as they walked out of the parking lot onto the small sidewalk that went through the area, Emily remembered this place. It was the gymnastics camp that Kaylie, Payson, and Lauren had attended when they were younger. It was the place where the four of them fought over the whole Kaylie/Carter/Lauren debacle the before Nationals awhile back. The place where they spilled their secrets.

As they neared the benches, Emily finally spoke up. "Why are we at the gymnastics camp?"

Kaylie sat down, the three other girls following her lead, before speaking. "We came here because this is where we fell apart and back together all once."

Emily furrowed her eyebrows at what she believed was Kaylie's cryptic-ness.

All three girls smiled at the pregnant dark-haired girl.

"We have some exciting news for you," Lauren added on to Kaylie's statement. "Ellen Beals has been fired—_permanently_."

Payson pulled out a manila envelope, then spoke. "And you have not only been placed back on the World Team, but you are now allowed to compete at Nationals in which you will compete for you spot or invite to Olympic Trials and the training camp leading up to it as well."

Emily's breath caught. She didn't utter a single word. She could not believe it. Everything she had ever worked for—everything she had trained and competed for—everything that she thought she had lost that day the NGO committee and Ellen Beals had walked into the Rock—was all back. She still had chance at her Olympic dreams.

That's when a wave of pain hit her.

"Emily?" Lauren spoke, trying to muster up some reaction from her friend. "Emily?"

That's when Emily realized what was happening.

"She's coming."

The other three Rock girls looked at her.

"Oh my god! Ohmygod!" Lauren panicked, looking around her. "Has you water broken?"

"No," Emily replied, semi-calmly. "But these are contractions and they're like ten minutes apart-maybe less. I don't know."

Kaylie quickly stood up, motioning for Payson to help her help Emily get up.

"We have to get you to the hospital," Kaylie said, trying to stay as calm as she could. But on the inside she was panicking.

"Ohmygod. Can we make it? Oh my god," Lauren was in a full-fledge hyperventilation, not having a clue what to do (despite Kaylie trying to tell her) and was acting hysterical.

A smack sounded as Payson slapped Lauren across the face, trying to calm her down. "You're not the one in labor. You're not the one about to become a mother in a matter of time. _Calm the hell done. _It's not going to help Emily."

Lauren nodded, scurrying off towards the car to help Kaylie with Emily.

The girls helped Emily to the car and pulled out of the parking lot, practically speeding, with Kaylie throwing her cell phone at Payson, commanding her to call Damon.

_This is it_, Emily thought to herself. The next time she would step out into the world outside the hospital, she and Damon would have a baby girl. They would have a daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for not updating sooner. I had a ton of work, trying to finish up my sophomore year in high school in the spring. But I survived all my honorsAP work, Junior year, here I come! :) [Which, actually, involves even more honors/AP work]. **

**I'm going to try and update as soon as I can. Just know one thing: I will never give up on this story. I will finish it. **

**Also: What did you guys think of the final season of MIOBI? I kept wishing Em and Damon were in it. But I did enjoy it, mostly. There were some things that were a bit unrealistic as far as gymnastics and Olympic Trials stuff goes, but other than that it was pretty interesting. I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous seasons though. Mostly, I'm just really pissed ABC Family cancelled the show before we even got to the Olympics. Wasn't that basically the point of the show—to get to that point? Oh well, at least we know who is on the Olympic Team for the show. **

**Another question: If you follow gymnastics: what do you think of our Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team? If you don't know the team is: Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglass, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney (and three alternates whose names I can't remember at the moment). I love our team! It's everyone I wanted on the team! Oh, and I'm sad to see Shawn Johnson retire (she was my favorite gymnast), but I understood why she had to. **

**Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please Review! :)**


	15. Alexandria Sasha Young

**Chapter 15: **_ Alexandria Sasha Young_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it. _I do, however, own my own writing.

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><p><strong>AN: **_I didn't get many reviews last chapter and even though that doesn't mean people didn't read it, I would like to let you know that I did add a Chapter 14 in late July after my five-month hiatus from the story, where Emily did go into labor. So if you haven't read that, you may want to so this chapter doesn't confuse you._

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><p>"Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out," Lauren spoke as she breathed with Emily as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.<p>

"_Shut up! _" Emily cried, as the girls helped her towards the ER entrance.

As they entered, Kaylie dove toward the front desk.

_"Our friend is having a baby!"_

The nurse looked up at her. "Hey, aren't you Kaylie Cruz? The national-"

Kaylie slammed her fist down on the desk in front of her. "Listen lady, we can talk about my national title another day-heck, a month from now. But my friend's baby is coming now."

The nurse looked past the gold medalist to Emily. "How far apart are your contractions honey?"

"Um, seven minutes I believe. I'm not really sure."

The nurse pulled out her clipboard. "Has your water broken, yet?"

Emily shook her head.

The nurse turned back to Kaylie, handing her the clipboard. "She's in labor, that's for sure. But it could be several hours before that baby comes out. Her contractions are close, enough, though, where she needs to be here. I will go set-up a room and get her doctor. You wait right over there."

The girls followed the nurses finger and steadily walked towards the waiting area.

"I'm here! I'm here!" came shouting from the doorway. They heard some more clattering as they saw Damon, Kelly, Bryan, and Razor burst through the hospital door.

Chloe Kmetko came running in a few beats after. "Did we miss it?! Did she already have the baby?!"

Emily shook her head as her mother noticed they were still in the waiting area.

"The nurse said it could be hours before the baby comes, but that I am definitely in labor. She went to set up the room," Emily told her mother. "Now all we have to do is wait."

And wait they most definitely did.

xxx

"Ten hours! It has been ten _freakin'_ hours!" Emily screamed from the bed she was lying in her hospital room, as another wave of pain rolled through her body. "_Get this baby out of my body!_"

Damon squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her. "It is going to be alright, Em. The doctor said it wouldn't be long now."

"He also said that four hours ago," Lauren muttered from the corner of the hospital room, along with an 'ow!' when Kaylie kicked her.

Emily groaned. Her contractions were growing closer and closer together and becoming even more unbearable.

"_Not. Helping._" Damon retorted to the national beam champion's comment.

"_Get me an epidural!_" Emily demanded, despite how saying several times that she wanted to do it naturally.

"But—"

Damon's reply was quickly cut short when Emily grabbed his collar, pulling him forward.

"Get. Me. An. _Epidural_!_"_ she restated, much more angrily this time.

Damon quickly nodded, turning to go get the doctor, but Payson stood up, signaling for him to stay with his girlfriend, and that she would go get Doctor Hansen.

"Em, honey," Chloe Kmetko assured her daughter. "Everything will be alright. Just breathe."

Upon hearing a weird, inhaling sound that was not from Emily, all four women in the room looked at Damon who was doing the same breathing Emily had been taught to do during labor. He looked like he was about to pass out.

"Not you, idiot," Kaylie muttered towards Damon.

Damon nodded, his knee bouncing up and down. He was not usually this dumbfounded. He was just so nervous. But, taking a normal deep breath, he calmed down. He knew he had to for Emily.

Emily yelped again in pain, wincing.

He felt terrible for his girlfriend. She was in so much pain and he wanted to everything possible in his power to make it stop. He didn't like seeing her like this.

Payson slipped back into the room, sliding back into her corner chair in-between Kaylie and Lauren. Everyone in the room hoped the doctor was not far behind her.

"Here we are, Miss Kmetko," Doctor Hansen announced, bringing in nurse. "I'm going to need you to sit straight up for us. This may hurt just a little bit, but trust me, it will help I the long run."

Damon stretched his hand out for Emily, lifting her up. It only took a few seconds and Emily laid back down on the bed. In just a few minutes time she would be in a lot less pain.

xxx

Twenty-seven hours after they had arrived at the hospital, Emily's water finally broke.

The three Rock girls had found their way to the lobby at that time, slightly grossed out at the prospect of giving birth and also not wanting to invade any privacy. The room was quiet, with the exception of ringing telephones and quiet chit-chat between the nurses.

The delivery room was a completely different story.

Emily was screaming and Damon was as pale white. Chloe did her best to not only keep her daughter calm, but Damon as well.

"WE ARE NEVER, EVER DOING THIS AGAIN!" the seventeen year old gymnast screamed. "NEVER! YOU SUCK!"

"Another push, Emily. It'll be over soon, I promise," Doctor Hansen stated.

Damon winced, afraid of what Emily might do in her rage. He kept holding her hand tight, though, reassuring her as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Deep breath, one last push, Emily, you can do it," Doctor Hansen said from the other end.

_"AAAAH!"_screamed Emily as she put all of her might into pushing the baby out.

There were a few beats of silence in the delivery room...then a small, tiny high-pitched wail.

Doctor Hansen looked up at the three faces on the opposite end of the bed. "It's a girl."

Emily smiled slightly, her head falling back on the pillow behind her, exhausted. Damon started laughing—overjoyed.

"Do you want to hold her?" the doctor asked the young mother.

Emily nodded as the baby girl—_their _baby girl—was passed to her, swaddled in a pink blanket.

"Hi, sweetheart. It's mommy," she said, softly. Then, her gazed diverted to Damon who was staring at them as if they were the most precious and beautiful things in the world he had ever seen (which, to him, they were). "It's _mommy _and _daddy_. We love you."

xxx

Three hours or so passed, in which Emily had time to rest and her friends, her brother, Razor, and a few others in the waiting room were notified that it was indeed a baby girl and that both mom and baby were doing well.

Not long after those three hours had passed, Emily insisted on seeing everyone.

Slowly, the visitors inched around the corner of the hospital room door. Both Emily and Damon ushered their friends and family inside.

"She's so beautiful," Kaylie murmured, looking at the baby girl lying in Damon's arms.

"She looks like her mom and dad," Razor added, tiptoeing closer.

When they asked if anyone wanted to hold her, Lauren was the first to step forward. Smiling, she took the darling little girl from Damon.

"There's no doubt that she will be a star," Lauren murmured, rocking the bundle of joy in her arms. "She has a world elite gymnast mommy and a musician for a daddy. She's going to have a big future ahead of her."

Both Emily and Damon chuckled as Lauren passed the baby to Bryan and then Bryan passed her to Razor.

"So have you decided on the godparents?" Chloe asked the young couple.

Emily smiled. "We thought about it for quite some time, throwing ideas back and forth, but there was a moment when we both said the same two names and we knew they would be the perfect godparents..."

"No offense to anyone else of course, we love you all," Damon made known.

Emily nodded. "And we decided that the best godparents would be _Razor_ and _Payson_."

Payson's eyes shot open and Razor stopped rocking the little baby in his arms. They both looked at each other and back at Emily and Damon.

"Thank you, so much," Payson murmured, tearing up. "I would be honored."

Razor nodded in agreement. "As would I."

The moment was so tender and so touching, that even Lauren, who had verbally petitioned to be the godmother, didn't even show her dismay.

"What's her name?" Kaylie piped up from the back.

"Well, we decided on naming her after people who were important in our lives. People who have believed in us, though there are so many."

Damon gathered his daughter from Payson and continued for Emily. "Her name is _Alexandria Sasha Young_."

Smiles beamed from Kaylie and Lauren who distinctly recalled their conversation with Emily about their middle names _Alexandra _and _Alessandria_. They hugged her gently, telling her how much they loved her finding a name that blended both of their middle names, in a way. And that once Sasha heard about the middle name, the soft side that Summer typically brought out of him would show and he would probably shed a tear or two.

A brief moment later, Emily and Damon shared a look. Months ago, they thought their lives were over. Everything they had ever worked for they thought had disappeared. But in that moment, with their friends and family around them, their bundle of joy in their arms, they knew that was the exact opposite of true.

As they laced their fingers together, they knew that their baby girl was one of the luckiest little girls in the world.

And that's when it hit them. They were not just Emily and Damon, the couple, anymore.

They were Emily, Damon, and _Alexandria_.

_The family._

And they couldn't be happier.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The baby is finally here. I hope you like her name. <strong>

**I really didn't know how to write a labor/birthing scene/chapter, since the only knowledge of it I have is from television and health class. I hope I did it justice. The writing in the beginning was a little bit hard (as you may be able to tell), but everything from there went pretty easily.  
><strong>

**So, junior year has arrived for me! I am going to be extremely busy with AP/Honors classes, choir, theatre, but I promise not to make you wait several months for a new chapter again. The longest wait should be a month, but hopefully I can get another chapter out by then. Also, I don't mind if you say 'update soon!' but please do not **_**demand **_**another chapter and tell me it's unacceptable to wait three weeks. I find it rude. I have a life, which takes precedence over my writing here. **

**That being said, I love you guys! And you're fabulous reviews. :) This story will have 22-24 chapters when completed, so it's not over yet. Stay tuned! **

**Please review! :)**


	16. The New Normal

**Chapter 16: **_The New Normal_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own _Make it or Break it_. It would have gone the way of this story, if I did. I do, however, own my own writing. :)

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><p>A piercing wail filled the dark room in the wee hours of the morning.<p>

"Ugh, it's your turn!" Emily groaned, hitting Damon with a pillow.

The dark-haired boy didn't make a sound as he simply rolled over, ignoring his girlfriend's request.

Emily sighed in defeat, knowing very well that Damon had actually gotten up multiple times over the last few hours in order to let her sleep. She slid out of their comfortable warm bed and onto her feet. Her feet pounded against the cold floor on her way to Alexandria's crib. It must have been a mother's touch because as soon as Emily cradled her daughter in her arms, Alexandria stopped crying.

Emily sighed in relief. Tomorrow was her triumphant return to the Rock and she needed to be as well rested as possible (though she was starting to think that was impossible as Alexandria typically cried several times a night).

It had been almost two and a half months since she had been released from the hospital after giving birth to her and Damon's adorable little girl. Her body shape began to return quicker than normal, as she had been exercising as much as possible when Damon was home with Alexandria. Her baby bump was a distant memory, but she still hadn't regained her thin, petite figure. Not that she cared as long as she was healthy, strong, and flexible.

With a sigh of relief, once more, she placed their darling daughter back in her crib and tiptoed quietly back to bed.

xxx

_Beep! Beep! Beep_, the alarm rang, with 5:55 A.M. glowing boldly in the darkness of the room.

She sighed, exhausted. Her body had yet to readjust to getting up so early.

Emily waited for Damon's usual grunt, as she begrudgingly rolled out of bed, but instead, found that the other side of the bed was empty.

Flying into instant panic mode, her eyes searched around the dark room for him. In an instant, she found him, lying on the couch, with Alexandria snuggled into her daddy's chest.

Emily smiled at the beautiful sight. Their daughter might have stopped crying as soon as she entered her mother's arms, but she was most certainly daddy's little girl.

Emily showered quickly and, deciding against her training leo for the first day back, threw on black stretch shorts, courtesy of Kaylie, and a black athletic stretch tank top. Grabbing her athletic bag, she looked at the clock, which now read, 6:35 AM. Looking back at the scene on the couch, with Damon and Alexandria contently fast asleep, she decided against waking Damon to tell him of her departure to the gym, but the scene was too adorable and too beautiful to interrupt. He knew where she was going to be anyway.

Emily walked over to the kitchen, grabbing her water bottle out of the refrigerator. As she walked back towards the front door, she realized a note sitting on the kitchen table with her name on it.

_To my beautiful girlfriend, _

_Likely when you wake, Alexandria and I will be fast asleep (one can only hope, given the lack of it both we and she have gotten). I want you to know that I believe you will do a fantastic job at the gym today—oh, I'm sorry 'we' believe, as little Andria is protesting against my statement here. You are still the rockstar elite gymnast I fell in love with-I am in love with. I have no doubt that you will get your groove back and flip-flop your way to the top of the podium for the All-Around Gold in London. _

_Remember this: _

_Trust your dreams. Trust your heart. Trust your story. _

_I love you. Alexandria loves you. We both believe in you. _

_We'll see you tonight. _

_Love, _

_Damon (and Alexandria, who refuses in a fuss to be left out of this note_) :)

With a huge smile, Emily tucked the note into her gym bag and left their apartment.

xxx

If anyone had ever told Emily Kmetko that she would be staring at the four women's gymnastics apparatuses and finding them daunting, she would have told you that you were crazy. But now, as she stood on the edge of the mat, in front of one of the sets of Uneven Bars, one of her best events, butterflies began flying throughout her stomach and she was frozen in place.

"Hey, Emily!" she heard a warm, familiar voice call. "It's great to see you back! How is my favorite goddaughter doing?!"

Emily turned to see Payson walking across the gym towards her, Lauren and Kaylie less than a foot behind her. She smiled and murmured that her family was doing wonderfully.

"Are you alright?" Kaylie questioned, watching the look in Emily's eyes.

"I'm just really nervous," she replied, rocking back-and-forth on her heels. She wasn't necessarily more nervous because she had to prove herself to Sasha once more as she was about the fact that at any point the NGO would be watching her.

All three girls tried to reassure her that she would be alright, when Sasha walked out of his office, clipboard in tow.

"Alright, Senior Elites, the American Cup is in month and a half, and Nationals are less than six months away. And if you want to prove to the Karoyli's as well as the USA Gymnastics committee that you are worthy of not only going to Olympic Trials, but obtaining one of those five spots on the Olympic team this year, you need to get to work," Sasha bellowed from his post on the stairs. "After you do your warm-ups, I want Kaylie and Payson on floor for the next hour. Lauren and Tia on beam. Ella and Sarah on vault. And Joanna and Kelly on Uneven Bars. As for Emily, please head over the floor mat, as well."

She sat down on the conditioning mat, next to the floor exercise mat, and began stretching, waiting for Sasha. When he finally made his way over, he leaned down to talk to her.

"I promised you another shot. I put my all into getting the NGO board to give you another shot at your elite career. Don't make me regret this Kmetko," Sasha stated, very serious, but also slightly light-hearted at the same time.

Emily nodded, looking at him in the eyes, so he would know that she was very serious about her return to the sport. "I won't. I promise."

"Alright then. I want you to start with basics today. I understand you have been conditioning a lot—running and stretching and flips. Do a bit more conditioning over the next hour, and then we'll start with some basics to see what you still can do and what you need to regain and work on."

Over the first four hours, she did a lot of stretching, flips on the floor mat, starting lifts and handstands on the bars, and many running and purposely falling vaults. They found that most of her capabilities were still there, some just were not as clean as they could be, given the several months of not training.

"Hold!" Sasha yelled, trying to keep Emily in handstand position on the bars. The longer she could hold it now, the easier it would be in the long run.

She gripped as tightly as she could, straightening her legs. She had forgotten how much the apparatus hurts your hands, even with the hand-guards covered in copious amounts of chalk. Emily held the position for several seconds. Upon receiving a nod from Sasha, she swung down, attempting her release onto the next bar. Feeling her body flying through the air again was almost like magic. It made her feel whole again, like a part of her had been missing.

_BAM!, _she felt her hands smack against the bar.

She heard clapping from below. "Now, _that, _is what I am talking about!" Sasha bellowed out.

Emily prepared for her dismount and as she landed it smack on, she knew she could do this. She was back and soon, she would be better than ever.

xxx

Later that afternoon, when Emily arrived home, she found Damon with the baby carrier strapped to his chest, carrying their baby daughter inside of it, as he set the table. He was bouncing her up and down, singing a nursery rhyme to her.

As the smell of Damon's famous low-carb lasagna filled the air, Emily leaned against the wall, smiling at beautiful sight. She was exhausted and her muscles ached a bit, but nothing made her feel better more than the sight of her family.

_Her family. _Damon, Alexandria, and herself. _Together_.

"Hey, babe!" Damon called out. "Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes!"

Emily smiled, nodding, sitting down on the living room carpet, where a play mat with several toys was. Damon sat down with Alexandria, unstrapping her from her baby carrier. She crawled towards Emily and the gymnast scooped up their baby girl, holding her close. Damon sat down next to Emily, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Several months ago, she the thought she had lost everything, but now she realized she had everything she wanted. And she was happier than ever.

This was her _new normal—_balancing gymnastics and a family.

Maybe she really could have it all.

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry for not having updated this in forever! I started this chapter way back after I posted the birth chapter and I just couldn't get anything past the first scene and a half and I got busy with school and other writing. <strong>

**This isn't my best-far from it. If you want to see my best go read my newest Auslly one-shot (**_**it was always a love song**_**) or the Rock Bottom chapter of this fic, likely, or really most of my other writing that is on the **_**first **_**page of my author page. I promise the next couple of chapters will be better. I certainly hope they will. I was just really stuck on the second half of this chapter. There is about 7 or 8 chapters till the end! I will do the Olympics (unlike the show) and other future events! :)**

**Please please please review! :) **


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